


Billion Dollar Caller

by seidrlightning



Category: Avengers, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting/ With future implications, And a lot of other stuff the author probably forgot at the moment, Character Death, F/M, Future Mpreg, High-End Prostitutes, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, M/M, Mpreg, Okay a lot of future implications, Past Mpreg, Some dark themes, Tony being a little shit at times but with the best of intentions, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-09
Updated: 2014-05-31
Packaged: 2018-01-08 02:15:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 39
Words: 73,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1127190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seidrlightning/pseuds/seidrlightning
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was all Tony's fault really. He should have known that Tony's ideas of fun and celebrations would lead to a network of trouble, it wouldn't be the first time.</p><p>This though, this was at the top of the list titled 'Stupid Things Tony Coaxed Him Into Doing'.</p><p>Fuck Tony.</p><p>As a means of celebration for a new advancement, Tony takes the small group of board members to a high-end brothel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Marvel Industries

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic in the Marvel Universe and it probably won't be the last. In reality, brothels are illegal practically everywhere in the U.S. except places in Nevada. In the AU though it's legal. Not only that but we have a smart Thor and a first generation billionaire Tony. It's on the short side because its an intro, but it'll get longer I promise. I hope you enjoy this crazy ride.

Thor groaned as he leaned back in his leather chair, a large hand coming up to rub at his now-dry eyes. He’d been staring at this laptop for far too long. Rolling his massive shoulders, he pushed the chair back and got up, walking over to the ceiling to floor windows that made up two out of four of his walls. Flipping the master switch on one of the tangible walls, he watched as the shade after shade rolled up to reveal the vast scale of buildings that made up the landscape of New York City. 

He glanced over to his right at the tower that reflected the one he was in. The large Stark sign attached to it let the world know who it belonged to.

He and Tony had come a long way from two fifteen year-old college boys sent to university with the sweet tune of full-ride scholarships. They went their separate ways to achieve their Master’s - Thor going to Harvard to further his studies in business and communications with a little dabble in technology while Tony became the toast of the institute at MIT.

While locked away in his single dorm room - with two older brothers and a simple three-bedroom house, he had been forced to share with Balder and there was no way he was going to pass up the chance at having his own room for a change - he had been fiddling around with a few bits and pieces that would eventually become his livelihood.

He continued with his courses while perfecting his little invention and by the time he graduated with full honors he had refined his plans on getting his creation out there. His widget led him to take out a loan to start up a manufacturing company- which he started in his native home of NYC; it was only mere months later that Tony came knocking on his door and a beautiful partnership began. He had the technology, and Tony had the software - the rest, as cliché as it sounds, was history. Ten years later at the ages of 33, he and Tony were the owners of Marvel Industries, the connected Odinson and Stark Towers the very image of their billion-dollar conglomerate.

He jumped at the sound of the intercom on his desk. Rushing over, he pushed the button.

“Yeah Sif?”

“Mr. Stark on Line One. And Mr. Rogers would like to speak to you about this year’s balance sheets.”

If he ignored Tony he would never hear the end of it. “Tell Steve I’ll arrange a meeting with him as soon as possible and go ahead and put Tony through.” He tapped the first button on the row once she sent the call his way and prepared himself for his friend’s infinite amount of energy.

“How fast can you get over here?”

“Good morning to you too, Tony.”

“Yeah, yeah whatever. Just get your big ass over here.” After that command he heard the drone of the dial tone.

Thor just stared at the phone in a mixture of confusion and fond exasperation. He looked over at the clock, he had a good hour to kill before things really started to pick up around here. Hanging the phone up, he hauled himself out of his chair and shucked on his suit jacket.

Walking out of his office, he gave Sif a smile and she returned it from the desk she was seated at in front of his door.

“Take a message for any calls I receive while I’m over in Stark.”

“Will do, Sir.”

“Thanks Sif, you’re amazing.”

Her cheeks stained red and she waved as he hopped in the elevator to the ground floor.


	2. Tony's Idea of a Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's bright idea(s).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next day update? I've never done that before! Whoop! Enjoy.

He wasn’t even halfway through the lab doors when Tony whirled around to face him.

“Ah! There you are! Come in, come in. You remember Bruce?”

Tony’s quirky lab partner flashed him some odd semblance of a smile that looked more like a wince and a single nod. Thor returned it and turned his attention to his long-time friend.

“Well, what did you call me down here for?”

Tony held a finger up, “One, no-” another finger joined the first, “two things.”

Thor raised his brows in indication for him to continue.

“You remember the holographic biz we were fiddling around with? We’ve managed to stabilize it!” Tony jogged over to one of the long metal tables and snatched up what appeared to be a cube with a spherical piece of glass in it. Rushing back, he held it out to him eagerly. “Go ahead, wave your hand over it.”

Hesitating slightly, Thor did what he was told - waving a hand over the glass. His eyes widened in surprise when a blue light flickered on, a small light beam flashing before him that materialized into a hologram of a chessboard.

“Genius, isn’t it?” Tony grinned smugly. “We configured it as a chessboard at random, well Banner wanted to anyway. I wanted to try to do a Playboy mag but it wasn’t ‘appropriate’ for the ‘nature and importance’ of this invention.” Tony explained, tossing a glare behind him at Bruce.

Thor reached for one of the pieces - and although he couldn’t feel it, the piece lifted at the command of his touch. “This is very impressive.”

“Impressive? Just impressive? This beyond exceptional, big guy! You know what this means? Just imagine the implications of it all! We could make a killing off of this!”

“Even more of a killing than you already have?” Steve asked as the double doors slid closed behind him.

Tony scowled good-naturedly. “Who the hell asked you, calculator boy?”

Thor chuckled and shoved his hands in his pockets, Tony waving his hand in the opposite direction Thor had previously, shutting the device down.

Steve shook the two inch thick folder of files in his hand. “Just consulting the balance sheets here.”

“Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted I was saying that this could be what we need to ditch a lot of the plastic, rubber, and other bullshit it takes to make up things like remote controls and hey, we could even make computers and cellphones obsolete with this thing. Going green while making green at the same time.”

Steve opened his mouth to say something but Tony shot him a death glare. “Shut up, Rogers. What are you even doing here anyway?”

“You’re being rather ambitious for something that we just barely learned to control.” Bruce informed.

“Why are you two so bent on ruining this crowning achievement for me?”

“You mean us?” Bruce tossed a glance his way before leaning back over the charts he was reading.

Thor cut in before Tony could make an argument out of this, which would end in him pouting for the rest of the day like a teenage girl. “You had a second thing?”

Tony’s eyes lit up anew. “Yes! Follow me, there’s this new thing that I’m working on.”

“He’s been waiting most of his career to say that you know?”

“Can it, Banner!”

Tony led Thor through two sets of double doors - one automatic and one Tony had to flash his i.d. and type in a code for - to a room with walls covered in blueprints full of drawings and equations. Thor may have dipped his hand in technology but he would never claim to understand anything he was looking at.

“This,” Tony threw his arms out and circled around, “is the start of Project J.A.R.V.I.S.”

“Jarvis?”

“No, J.A.R.V.I.S. It’s an acronym for Just a Rather Very Intelligent System.”

“Just a Rather Very Intelligent System? I told you not to skip all those English classes.”

“I’m on the very cusps of something revolutionary and you want to correct my grammar? Fuck. You.”

“What’s all this then?”

“An A.I. system that I plan to take to a higher caliber. Using Stark Tower as the guinea pig. I’m not sure just what I want it to be able to do and how much freedom it will have, but I know I want a system that can be ran by voice, not touch screen like all the other pansies are doing.”

“So what you’re saying is that you could say ‘Hey, put the coffee on.’ and it’ll just do it?” Thor questioned.

“Hm. You caught on quicker than I thought you would, Blondie.” Tony yelped when Thor punched his shoulder.

Thor snorted with laughter as Tony rubbed the offended body part. “This is truly incredible, Tony.”

He saw something akin to true pride and excitement flash in the brown irises before a smug grin stole across Tony’s face.

“Of course it is! And for these stellar achievements and those deals and that takeover of the Jotnar Corporation in Massachusetts you’ve managed, we should celebrate!”

“Toonnny.” Thor groaned in exasperation.

“I’m serious, Thor! We are on the verge of a new era with Marvel and you don’t think that at the very least we should recognize it?”

“You’ll make any excuse to go all out.” Thor pointed out.

Tony waved a hand in dismissal. “That’s beside the point. Besides, you haven’t been out in months and I have a special place we can go this time. Found it about a couple weeks back.”

“Tony-”

“It’s relatively contained compared to where we’ve gone before. Just let me handle all the arrangements and all you have to do is show up.”

“Is it just us?” Thor asked reluctantly.

“Nah. I plan on inviting the whole board for this little excursion. Just be ready at say...10 o’clock?”

Thor gave in. “Fine. But I swear to the heavens above Tony-”

“I know. Don’t get us hurt, arrested, STDs, handcuffed to a motel bed-”

Thor couldn’t fight down the flush in his cheeks. “Do you know how embarrassing that was? The maid had to pry me out of them!”

“I told you that chick you left with was dodgy. That’s what happens when you don’t listen to Tony Stark.”

“Listening to Tony Stark was how I met said dodgy woman in the first place!”

Silence.

“That’s what I thought.” Thor snorted.

“Shut up and get out.”

Thor laughed as he left, heading back to the main area to discuss the balance sheets with Steve.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m tellin’ ya. This place is fantastic. High-end and everything. I bought it out for the night so just lie back and enjoy. You guys are gonna love it.” Tony gushed as the limo stopped in front of an elegant building.

The word Valhalla sparkled and shined in delicate cursive above the entrance.

“What is this place again?” Clint asked cautiously.

“You’ll know once you step inside Barton.” Tony answered as he opened one of the tinted doors, waving his friends inside.

Thor, the last to go in before Tony, gave him a skeptical look - receiving a smirk in return before he followed the others inside. They walked down a plain and bright hallway, taking many twists and turns as they were led by an eager Tony down a grand staircase where the lights dimmed significantly.

They were met at the bottom by a prim and polished couple.

“Saga! Ullr!” Tony kissed the short and curvy woman on the cheek and clasped forearms with the tall and slim man.

“It’s very good to see you again, Tony. These are your friends, yes?”

Thor and the rest took in the ballroom-like place, fluffy couches adorning the walls while most of the center was taken up by a mass of large pillows and satin bean bag and cotton chairs, silk sheets covering the majority of everything. A flowery scent floated in the air, enough for one to notice without it being overbearing; flower petals coated the ground in light trails in spaces where there were no chairs or pillows.

“You’d be right madam. We’re feeling rather celebratory, I’m sure you could accommodate?”

“Of course we can. Ullr?”

The silent man gave her a slight bow before going over to a massive set of gilded double doors and heading inside.

It didn’t take long for Bruce to figure it all out - leaning over to Hogun, the quiet Director of Human Resources, Thor just barely caught the whisper of: “I believe we might be in a brothel.”

He wasn’t the only one that heard, the woman -Saga - smiled and let out a breathless giggle. “You would be correct.”

Most of the guys looked at Tony in a mixture of shock and mild outrage, with the exception of Fandral, Volstagg, and Clint who appeared to be excited at the prospect.

Tony held up a hand. “Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it.”

“I would implore you to wait until they’re all out here before leaving. Seeing them could very well change your mind. This experience would help to...broaden your horizons so to speak.” Saga smirked.

For all the protest that could be seen on the majority of their faces, they stayed put as the doors reopened. Out came what Thor would consider to be some of the most beautiful women (and more than a handful of men, that bastard Tony knew that none of them discriminated) he had ever seen. Covered in silk and lace, they all spread out amongst the piles of pillows and bean bag and cotton chairs, the effect of the soft colors making their skin glow enticingly.

No one dared to retrace their steps back up the staircase and out of the building.

Saga waved them over to the men and women, “Go. Mingle. You have the night.”

Tony didn’t bother to hesitate, strutting over to a section as the mass giggled and winked at him. The others followed at a more sedate pace, quietly accepting their fate for the night; Thor was stopped when he finally moved to follow.

“Come with me.” Saga whispered. “Tony told me that we would need our best to loosen you up.” She guided him to another set of double doors, dragging him down the hall that was exposed when she heaved one of them open. Going to the last door at the end of the hall - the design was much more extravagant than that the others - she pried it open and pushed him in lightly. “Make yourself comfortable. He will arrive shortly.”

With a devious smile and naughty wink, she left him alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might require a beta in the near future(the idea of one isn't set in stone yet), but if you're interested let me know.


	3. Loki - Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we meet Loki!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who's been interested enough to get into this. I only did a spelling/grammar check, I didn't read back over it so if you see any errors let me know. Enjoy!

Thor glanced around the room in no small amount of appreciation. Most of what he’d seen of this place gave off a very feminine vibe - muted reds, vibrant pinks, and soft whites made up most of brothel’s decor - but this particular room lacked all of that; the room’s walls flashed a deep gold, the bed in the center that was large enough to contain at least four people comfortably was ravaged with black silk sheets and royal green pillows, and the rest of the furniture and fixings he could see was a combination of the three colors to a reasonable degree.

Once he had done his rounds to further inspect the room, he found himself back at the center of the room with his back to the door leading out to the dimmed hall. It wasn’t particularly hot in the room, but it was warm enough for him to begin to unbutton the pea coat he was wearing.

“Ah, however pleasant it is to see you zealous enough to shed your layers - would you not prefer I do it for you?”

Thor whipped around so fast he nearly lost his balance, pulling a low chuckle from the lithe form that leaned against the frame of the door. He scratched the side of his heads, trying to find the words that were suddenly lodged in his throat.

“Uh...hi?” Great, you’re a regular wordsmith, Odinson.

The man pushed himself up from his slight perch and moved inside to close the door behind him. 

Thor slowly took him in as he was sure the other was doing - he was nearly as tall as Thor and that’s where the similarities ended. His form was slim where Thor’s was thick with muscle, his skin a snowy white while Thor’s was as golden as a summer day, his hair was a curtain of dark waves whereas Thor’s graced his shoulders in blond strands, and Thor’s eyes shined as bright as the clear sky as opposed to the deep, haunting green that stared back at him.

He fought the urge to fidget as the man circled around him, taking him as a whole and started when cold, nimble fingers brushed across his collarbone.

“And hello to you, too.” The man replied teasingly as he finished divesting Thor of his coat, his hips swaying just a tad as he placed it on the oak wood dresser across the room. He donned a forest green silk robe that complemented his complexion, the soft material swishing mid-thigh where it ended leaving the rest of his long, pale legs in full view.

Thor swallowed thickly.

He slowly pivoted around and was back in front of Thor before he could even blink. He brazenly broached the blonde’s personal space, Thor revealing in the touch of his hairless face as he nuzzled his bearded jawline.

“And to what do I have the pleasure of calling to the heavens on this night?” His voice but a whisper in his ear - his cool hands folding around Thor’s larger, warmer one as he tugged him to the bed.

“Thor,” he managed to croak out, having to suppress a shudder as the man’s warm breath ghosted past his ear.

“Mm. Thor.”

He loved the way it easily rolled off his tongue, he wasn’t able to repress the shiver that went through his body as he thought of the many ways he could make it spill from those perfect lips in the height of passion.

“And yours?” he asked.

“It should matter to you?” The man dismissed casually as he took a seat on the plush bed, his eyes glittering with mischief.

Thor summed up a bit of courage to lean down and graze his lips against the man’s cheek to his ear before pulling back to look him in the eye. “Yes. What would I call you while you make good on the promises I see in your eyes?”

He mentally patted himself on the back when he saw the emerald orbs turn even darker, a breathless answer of “Loki” tumbling from his lips.

Loki was quickly able to shake off the daze and stood back up, his cool hands immediately trailing under and up Thor’s shirt. The soft tips grazing past his sculpted abdomen up to his chiseled chest before coming back down to tug the offending garment off his person, Thor silently thanking Steve for dragging him to the gym a couple of times a week as he watched Loki take him in with an undisguised appreciation.

The long fingers reached down to undo his belt, but Thor intercepted them.

“What’s the rush?”

“Whether or not we wish it as such, you cannot deny that the first time will be rather frantic.” A smirk graced his features. “I would rather you be in top form, nothing is more dreadful than having a bed partner going in fully cocked for a... premature finish.”

Thor had no way of besting that logic, the eager throbbing in his trousers a testament to what Loki was saying.

“Besides,” Loki went back to unbuckling his belt, his deft fingers making quick work of the rest as he sat back down. “I was informed we had the rest of the evening, do we not?”

Thor could only sigh as he was released from the confines of his pants.

“Hm. Impressive.”

Thor opened his mouth to respond, but not words came as Loki licked him from base to tip.

“Oh sorry, you wanted to speak then? I can wait.” Loki grinned smugly.

Thor just reached down and buried a large in those midnight curls, giving them a soft tug in reply.

Another lick, this time along the thick vein of the underside. After a few more swipes of his tongue Loki took the head in his mouth, teasing the slit before descending down Thor’s length. Thor groaned, his head falling back as Loki’s nose met the dirty blonde thatch of pubic hair. Loki pulled back, giving him a few firm strokes as he took a steadying breath before going back down.

Thor growled, nudging him back and away - fuck waiting; he ignored the bemused look he received in favor of working to undo the knot that held Loki’s robe closed.

“I take it you didn’t quite listen to what I said earlier.”

Thor snorted, shoving the green silk off to reveal Loki’s pale and slim torso. “Don’t worry about me. Haven’t heard any complaints on my stamina thus far.”

Loki rolled his eyes as he cast the robe to the side, leaving him in a pair of silk, black briefs. He let out a surprised yelp as Thor yanked them off, Loki falling flat on his back and dragged dangerously close to the edge of the bed.

“Could you get any more barbaric, you great oaf!” Loki scowled.

Thor chose to ignore that as well. “Lube?”

His features still pinched in annoyance, Loki gestured over to the small bedside dresser with several drawers. “Top one.”

Thor reached over and opened it, his eyebrows lifting at the assortment stashed. Strawberry, wild cherry, grape, cinnamon, coconut, “Chocolate Chip?” Thor asked incredulously.

He heard that low chuckle again. “You’d be surprised.”

“Already there.” Thor mumbled, picking up the one that read ‘Vanilla Creme’ and quickly browsed through the condoms before choosing one that would fit him. He tossed both on the bed, shucking off his shoes and rolling down his socks before letting his jeans and boxers pool around his ankles. His brows lifted yet again when he saw Loki open the tube to pour some of the lube in his own hand - not having any of that Thor easily nicked the bottle away, earning himself a glare. 

Out of all the ones he could have gotten they had gave him the temperamental one? 

He couldn’t say he disliked it though.

“I would prefer to do it myself.” Loki informed him as he scooted back to the center of the bed.

“Too bad,” he stated cheerfully, liberally coating his fingers in the clear substance. “Now spread ‘em.”

He wouldn’t be surprised if Loki’s eyes rolled out of his head, but he did as he was told. Thor climbed on the bed and fell to his side before reaching down to trace the tight ring of Loki’s hole. He heard him sigh, a small cant of his hips indicating Thor to continue; he applied a bit of pressure, twisting his finger as it was eagerly accepted into Loki’s body.

He gave him a small measure to him to get used to it before he continued to stretch him. A second finger followed the first and he glanced over to see Loki’s hand curling into the sheets. He scissored the two fingers, one of the thick digits skirting past the little nub in Loki’s passage, earning himself a quiet gasp.

He hooked his fingers on the spot again with a little more pressure, receiving a grunt this time. He added a third finger, swiftly seeking it out once more, flicking his fingers over it with quick motions. Thor watched him, entranced by the increasing sound tumbling from Loki’s lips, his pale throat exposed as he tossed his head back.

Thor leaned down to nip and suck at the soft skin, searching for the areas that garnered the most response. He looked down to see the flushed head of Loki’s member leaking copious amounts of precome, looking back up he committed the two rosy spots on his cheeks - he couldn’t resist bending down to capture his lips with his own.

He was given no resistance, Loki wrapping desperate hand in Thor’s hair, pulling him even closer as their tongues battled for supremacy. Loki pulled away to take in deep bouts of air - he was so close.

Thor reached down and gave him a few strokes and with a shrill cry he reached his peak, his passage clenching tightly around Thor’s fingers, his member spilling over Thor’s hand. Loki watched in an orgasmic haze as Thor licked his fingers clean. He patted around the bed, feeling for the foil packet and shoving it at Thor once he found it.

“Put it on and hurry the fuck up.”

Such words were sinful when they came from Loki’s lips. He was happy to oblige.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, I'm cutting this in half. The tease I am. Again if you saw any errors let me know.


	4. Loki - Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of the encounter and a bit of interactions afterwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, I've been tweaking the outline for quite a bit to see where I want to go with this. Same warning as before since I didn't go back over it. Any mistakes you see let me know. Enjoy!

Loki was tight. Very tight. Especially for someone who was in the line of work that he was in.

Thor pulled back and pushed forward, repeating the motion just a few times more before he was buried to the hilt. While waiting for Loki to give him permission to continue, he took in the soft, almost feminine contours of Loki’s face which was screwed in both pleasure, mild discomfort and even a bit of pain. Thor leaned down and nipped at the sensitive spots on Loki’s neck to help him relax more, earning a sweet shudder from the body beneath him.

Lifting back up, Thor was met with the intense, emerald gaze of the man below him; long, pale legs circled around Thor’s thick waist and squeezed. Thor braced his hands on either side of Loki’s head on the plush pillows and slowly began to move. Loki sighed and closed his eyes, his head thumping back in the throng of pillows as the pleasure began to build within him.

Thor reached down and pulled Loki up on his strong thighs, altering the angle of his thrusts - the result was immediate, Loki’s eyes widening in apparent wonder and his mouth opened in a silent cry. Smirking, Thor held on to Loki’s slim waist and picked up the pace, aiming for Loki’s prostate every other thrust. Loki reached up and wrapped his thin arms around Thor’s massive shoulders, pulling himself up to an even better angle to rock his hips in tandem with the blonde’s. Loki buried his face in the juncture of Thor’s neck and shoulder, his borderline embarrassing moans loud in the other man’s ear.

The room was filled with soft sighs and low moans, Thor dragging it out for as long as he could - he was well known for his endurance but the gasps and the occasional wicked gazes from Loki was seriously contending that.

“T-Thor. Oh god, Thor. Faster.” Loki panted, the knot in his lower abdomen coiling tighter and tighter.

Thor did as he was told and sped up even further, feeling his own orgasm start to mount.

“Ungh. Harder, darling, harder. _Fuck me_.” Loki encouraged.

After that things got a bit out of hand, Thor’s self-control snapping as he shoved Loki down and began to thrust in earnest. Loki squealed, his prostate hit every time Thor slammed forward.

“Thor!”

“ _Loki_.”

Loki went taut and keened, his untouched member spilling in between them. Thor’s sharp movements became erratic and he followed right after Loki with a hard grunt, the clenching tunnel milking him for all he was worth.

They collapsed in a heap of sweaty limbs, what little breath Loki had being squished out of him when Thor’s large bulk fell on top of him.

“Get off of me, you great lummox!”

Thor groaned and pulled out of him, sliding off the used condom and tying it in a tight knot before discarding it in the convenient small trashcan by the bedside table before flinging himself beside the panting man to his left.

“Wow.” Thor turned his head to the side to study the brunette.

Loki chuckled and hummed in agreement.

“So,” Thor propped himself up on his elbow. “Another?”

Loki smirked. “Of course, darling.”

\------

“Now was I right or was I right?” Tony bragged as they practically fell into the limo.

“Never again.” Steve groaned.

“You’ll have to excuse Rogers here, one of the girls got a bit too adventurous for him.”

“And we’re going to leave it at that.” Steve snorted.

“Spoilsport. Well what about the rest of you?”

“No, Tony.” Bruce admonished, already buried in his Stark Pod.

“All of guys are no fun. Maybe I should tell the driver to turn back and drop me back off at the Valhalla.”

Tony stared at them, aghast as they all wholeheartedly agreed with him.

“Well since you all aren’t willing to share, I’ll be glad to pick up the slack - starting with Miss Lacey and Miss Trish...”

The rest groaned as he prattled on about his encounters with the two tan, ample blondes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Natasha frowned as she and Loki headed towards their cars. “You alright, Loki?”

“Fine.”

“You’re limping.” A rare smile graced the Russian woman’s face. “Care to spare a few details?”

Loki cursed, he could feel the heat in rise in his cheeks. “He’s was um...larger than usual.”

“The large blonde one right? It makes sense that he would be proportional. Are you headed straight home or are you available for a few shots?”

“I’m afraid I will have to decline, Natasha.”

“Syn?”

A soft smile graced his features. “Yes. Heaven knows how Angie’s spoiling her at the moment. I’m sure she’s up well past her bedtime.”

“How is she?”

“Marvelous, I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

“You’ll have to start at another time. I’m hitting the bar.”

“Goodnight, love.”

Natasha waved in return, climbing into her car and quickly peeling out of the lot.

Loki watched as her car was consumed by traffic before getting into his on vehicle. He winced as he shuffled around for a comfortable enough angle for him to drive in. The discomfort was worse than it had been when he had first given himself sophomore year in high school. He didn’t know what to make of this Thor. He would concede and give the oaf credit where credit was due, he was nearly insatiable. Most of the men he encountered was done after one bout, and a lot of those didn’t even make it worth his time.

He hasn’t been living under a rock - he knew who he was, he’d seen the magazines and sparse interviews on the local news broadcasts about he and his short friend’s innovations in technology and science. So what would someone like him be doing dallying with the likes of whores when there were numerous ‘proper’ men and women out there that he could partake in?

He was thinking way too much into this, he’d done his job (and thoroughly enjoyed it, though he would never admit it out loud) and gotten paid handsomely for it. He wriggled around the leather when he hit a bump as he trailed out of the parking lot.

Larger than usual indeed.


	5. The Next Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day and just a small peek into Loki's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for keeping up so far. Have some feels for your patience!

Thor felt his mind drift off for the umpteenth time this morning. It wasn’t wise to let his thoughts flit away, seeing as he was in a meeting, but he just couldn’t take his mind off of last night. He had been able to put in to the back of his mind when he entered the board room, but it rushed back with a vengeance when Tony slipped him a note that read _‘How was your night, big guy?’_ accompanied by a big grin and wiggling eyebrows.

He shouldn’t have let Tony trick him into going to that place and he damn sure should have left when they discovered just what type of establishment it was.

By the end of said meeting he had absolutely no idea what it had been about and was scratching his head as he made a beeline towards his office. He collapsed into his leather chair and scrubbed his face with his hands.

“Hey there, big guy. Friend. Buddy. Amigo.”

Of course Tony just had to follow him.

“Dammit, Tony.”

Sif peeked over Tony’s shoulder. “Sorry sir, short of shooting him-”

Thor waved her off. “It’s fine. Next time don’t hesitate.”

Sif looked back and forth between them with mild confusion.

“He’s just fooling around, Sif.”

She nodded, still unsure, and returned to her desk.

Scowling, Thor motioned him in.

Tony smirked, closing the door securely behind him. 

“I take the fact that you zonked out before the meeting even began that you had a good time last night?” Tony dropped a legal pad on his desk. “Don’t worry, you can print off a copy of my notes. It’s just like high school all over again, huh?”

Thor glared at him. “One, I was the one who had to give copies to you. Two, I still can’t believe you took us there!”

“But it was worth it right. I can’t vouch for everyone else but I know you got the best. Loki’s really somethin’, eh?”

Thor frowned. “You’ve been with him?”

“I knew that second to Steve, you’d be the one to bolt and give me an earful the next day - which Steve did give me, by the way - so why not cushion the blow by giving you something to not regret?”

Thor gave him a confused glance. “What?”

“I don’t know. I just want you to give me the opportunity to say I told you so.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Yeah, I have been with him. Twice actually.” Tony grinned. 

Thor didn’t like the cold ball that rolled in the pit of his stomach. Though he had no right to, he didn’t like the idea of Loki being with anyone else, especially if that person was his best friend. “Mm.”

Tony tilted his head to the side and gave him a perplexed look. He opened his mouth to say something when his pocket vibrated. Fishing out his Stark Pod, he quickly glanced over the message before rolling his eyes. “That’s Banner. Better head back before he goes all berserk on me. Don’t forget to have those sent back to me. Catch ya later?”

Thor nodded, having vaguely heard him or registered the door closing behind him over the puzzling turn his thoughts took.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Loki’s brows were furrowed as he sliced up the avocado to make it easier to process for lunch. He found himself having to reel his mind back to the task at hand before he ended up losing a finger. He’s never divested much thought on a client before, but he just couldn’t get last night out of his head. What he had forgotten came back to him pretty quickly when he found himself sitting rather carefully at the table this morning.

“Mommy! Mommy!”

Loki cringed at the title, no matter how true it was. A smile easily softened his features when the small girl bounded into the kitchen.

“Mommy, look what I drawed!” The little girl gave him a broad grin and held up the picture she drew.

“Look what I _drew_ , sweetheart.” Loki corrected gently, wiping his hands before he picked her up.

“Look what I drew, Momma!” She repeated.

Loki plucked the picture from her tiny hands to get a better look. It was a picture of four figures - three people and one dog - standing next to block-like house. The two larger people were each holding a hand of the much smaller person in the middle.

“It’s you, me, Daddy, and Bragi!” She gave a tiny giggle before becoming somber. “Mommy? When is Daddy coming back?”

Loki looked away from the drawing and out the window above the kitchen sink. “You know I can’t answer that, sweetheart.”

“But he loves us right? That will make him come back, won’t it?

Loki was hit with a huge combination of longing, hurt, sadness, rage, and resentment. He fought down angry tears and quickly searched for a suitable answer. _Damn that bastard_.

“I’m afraid I can’t answer that either, love.”

He felt her bury her face in the juncture between his shoulder and neck.

“You still love me though, right Mommy?” she asked softly.

Loki shifted her around so he could look her in the beautiful green that reflected his own. “Sigyn you are the last person I will ever stop loving.” He sighed at the perturbed looked she gave him. “Absolutely, you are the center of my universe.”

“I love you, Mommy.”

“I love you too, Syn.” He eased her back down on the floor and gave her bottom a gentle pat. “Now go on back and play, sweetheart. Lunch is almost ready, and it’s your favorite.”

Her eyes lit up. “Turkey with the green stuff?”

“Avocado, love. Now run along.”

Her mood lifted immensely, Sigyn darted off to the play area that was sanctioned off in the living room.

Loki looked at the picture once more before shutting his eyes tightly against the pain. _Damn him_. Shaking it off as best as he could, he put the picture on the counter beside him before finishing up the preparation for their sandwiches.


	6. Sunday Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor's family and trouble stirring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally have a clear idea of where I want this to go (least for the next ten chapters). I went back and altered the names of the brothel owners so I could put Laufey and Farbauti in their proper places in Loki's life. Again, I didn't give this too much of a once-over(I should REALLY get a beta) so if you see any errors let me know! That being said, enjoy!

Thor cursed under his breath as he swerved into the expansive driveway, barely giving himself enough time to turn the car off before he was out of the car and halfway to the door. He rang the doorbell, shifting from foot to foot as he waited for someone to let him in.

The door opened to reveal a familiar set of blues eyes and golden hair that was just a few shades darker than his own. “Late again, brother?”

“Shut up, Balder.” Thor mumbled, following him to the kitchen and into the dining room. “I worked late last night and didn’t hear my alarm.”

“I worked late too, but I still managed.” Balder rubbed in. “I always do, and that’s why I’m Mother’s favorite.”

“To hell you are.”

While Thor was the CEO and Tony was the President of Marvel Industries, Balder had what both men considered as the next important role - Chief Information Officer. Trustworthy and attentive, Balder kept note of all that moved in and out of Marvel - from the newest programs in their computers to the nuts and bolts that went into their products.

“I got the straggler.” Balder announced as they arrived.

The scowl he tossed his older brother’s way immediately melted into a gentle smile when his mother got up from her place at the table to stand in front of him. “My boy,” Frigga reached up to pinch a stubble covered cheek. “You get more handsome every time I see you.”

“ _Mother._ ”

Frigga gave him a broad grin before going back to the table. “Come, sit. Eat.”

Thor took the seat across from Balder, who was already tucked into a plate was already piled high with pancakes, bacon, sausage, and eggs. He nodded at the man to his right, “Father.”

“Son.” Though Odin didn’t give him the smile and greeting his mother did, the look in his eye was not unkind. 

It wasn’t often that Thor’s mind drifted to the day his father had lost the other eye, he’d been just been on the very cusps of adolescence. It had been a bad accident on the plant site due to the negligence of a fellow worker, resulting in an avalanche of pipes crashing on several men, including his father. Most escaped with a few bumps and bruises but their father had been unfortunate enough for one of the smaller pipes to embed itself into his eye.

He could still see his mother close to tears as she paced the waiting room - torn between wanting to comfort her boys and giving in to the fear that her husband may be lost to her. Even when the good news came that he would make a full recovery, just without his eye, Thor decided that he would do whatever possible to get his father out of that factory as soon as he could - and by the look on his brother’s equally young face that day, he wholeheartedly agreed with the sentiment.

Fast-forward to now and their father hadn’t had to lift a single finger unless it was for repairs around the house or a few of his projects out in the large backyard.

Conversation started rather slow, the only words said between the four being requests to pass orange juice or syrup, but soon things began to pick up.

“So,” Frigga grinned as she flicked her eyes between her two sons, “anyone special I should know about?”

“Mother!” The two brothers stared at their mother with incredulity. 

Odin looked up from his omelet. “Frigga, I thought we agreed not to talk about this.”

Frigga waved him off. “Nonsense. They are successful, they are in their thirties and I’m they’ve been through enough ‘adventures’ to last them a lifetime! All that’s missing is a nice woman by their side. I can’t wait to see my little grandchildren running around in the backyard.”

Thor was pretty sure that the ‘deer caught in headlights’ look on his brother’s face was mirrored on his own. “ _Mother!_ ”

“Indulge this old woman if you would.”

The brothers look to their father for help, but it was plain to see that he had given up and returned to his breakfast.

Frigga looked to Balder first. “Well?”

Flushing, Balder picked at what was remaining of his food. “Um, well. You remember Idunn, don’t you?”

“Ivaldi’s daughter, is she not? Beautiful curly hair and eyes?”

Balder nodded, he was turning redder by the moment. “Nothing is official, but I have been seeing her during spare time away from Marvel.”

Frigga could barely contain her excitement as she turned to her youngest. “And what of you, Thor? Are you still seeing that lovely Jane girl?”

They all jumped when Thor’s phone rang. Quickly fishing it out and checking the caller i.d., Thor’s never been more thankful for Tony in his entire life up to that point. “It’s Tony. It could be about Marvel.”

He made a beeline for the sliding doors that led out to the backyard. Accepting the call, he had just opened his mouth to speak a greeting before Tony cut him off.

“My place, right now.”

The call ended abruptly. Frowning, Thor jogged back inside the house, poking his head in the dining room, he said “I have to go. It’s urgent.” Without waiting for a response he continued on his way to his car, quickly firing up the engine and pulling out of the driveway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tony opened the door to reveal a panting Thor. Unusually brooding, Tony let him in and led him to the mini bar in his basement turned lounge.

“What’s so important that I had to leave breakfast at my parents? You know my mother complains about it enou-”

“It’s Laufey.”

Thor bristled immediately. “What of him?”

Tony poured himself a shot before downing it quickly. “Barton’s telling me he’s met with more than a handful of shady characters this past month.”

“What’s new? Shady man, shady associates.”

“He just issued a press conference about several new ‘inventions’ in the upcoming future.”

“When has his work ever been a threat to us?”

“It’s a threat when those inventions are eerily similar to what we are developing, Thor.”

Thor frowned. “You think there’s a way he’s been spying on us?”

“Yes and no. What worries me is that he is so confident about this that he said, and I do quote ‘Marvel should be prepared to be taken off their _great_ pedestal and be ready to take a serious hit.’”

The only thing Thor saw as a threat was the potential of espionage in their corporation. “We should monitor our employees for suspicious activity, but you know as well as I that Laufey does more talk than anything.”

Tony shook his head. “Maybe you’re right, maybe you’re wrong. But I got a bad feeling about all this, and you know that doesn’t happen all that often.”

Thor nodded. “Put it at the back of your mind and focus on what we’re about to introduce to the public. Better yet, we only have one day off and you should use it to your advantage.”

“Thor the Workaholic is telling me to utilize a day off?” Tony swiftly changed back to the sarcastic and light-hearted bastard he usually was. “That’s _unheard_ of. You’re probably right though, I think I’ll pay Saga a visit tonight. Care to join me?”

“Saga...”

“The chick with the sophisticated whorehouse. Remember?”

“ _Tony_.”

“Come ooon.”

He had not thought of Loki for the whole week, but now that night rushed back to him like it had happened last eve. He had to admit that he wouldn’t mind a repeat of it.

“Come on, big guy. Loki isn’t enough to tempt you into coming with me? You know you want to.”

Damn that Stark, always able to read his mind. “Fine.”

Tony pumped his fist in the air, already going through the contacts on his Stark Pod to ring the madame.


	7. Round 2(ish)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor's second visit to Valhalla.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The smut is always rather graphic so if you don't like it, one - I don't know what's wrong with you and two - don't read it. Enjoy!

Thor was surprised to find that Tony wasn’t alone when he slipped into the back of the town car. “How did he bait you into coming, Clint?” he asked as the vehicle sped off.

Clint just snorted, his eyes focused on the night sky just outside the window.

Tony smirked. “Let’s just say Barton’s anxious to see a little redhead tonight.” Then his smirk dropped instantly. “Don’t tell her I said that.”

“Not making any promises.”

Tony cursed under his breath.

“Who’s this ‘little redhead’, mh?” Thor was very curious.

“She called the Black Widow around those parts. The real dominatrix type, if you know what I mean.” Tony wiggled his brows. “From Russia, I heard. No wonder she’s got such an abrasive personality.”

“Definitely telling her you said that.”

“You wouldn’t.”

Clint spared Tony a glance and turned his gaze back to the stars above.

“Oh come on! I was just playing. Last time she said she was going to shave my chin. You can’t let her break the combo! I’m not Tony Stark without the combo.” Tony whined, his hand coming up to graze his facial hair.

Thor chuckled as Tony pleaded with Clint to keep his insults under wraps all the way to Valhalla.

\----------

Saga and Ullr were waiting at the bottom of the stairs just like last time, but the men and women were already scattered amongst the silks and cottons.

“Mr. Stark. Mr. Stark’s associates.” Saga waved both arms out to the group in front of them.

Tony immediately broke away from them to throw himself between two busty blondes, presumably the same two from last time. Thor watched as a redhead moved from her perch on the wall, her curves clad in tight black leather, and Clint met her halfway. There was no holding back a few quiet chuckles as Clint whispered something to the woman, her eyes glaring daggers at Tony as he continued to speak.

He was at a loss as to what to do, his eyes trailing over to a couple of brunettes who were batting their eyelashes at him as they practically mentally undressed him. He shrugged internally and moved towards them, not missing the way they lit up as he got closer, but instantly their smiles turned into scowls and for a moment Thor thought those looks had been directed at him. That was not the case as a strong hand gripped his hip, halting further progress.

“And just where do you think you’re going?”

Thor would recognize that voice until the end of time, as smooth as the silks that graced the floor and richer than any chocolate he’d ever encountered. He turned to find those deep emeralds regarding him with a hint of amusement.

“With you hopefully?” 

The grin he was rewarded with was nothing short of devious. Loki took his much larger hand in his own and tugged him in the direction of the double doors just a few feet shy of the staircase. “But of course.” Loki looked behind them and Thor watched as he blew a kiss and wiggled his fingers at the two brunettes, their expressions turning even darker as he laughed. “Good evening, ladies.”

So Loki was catty as well? 

Thor found that he rather liked that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

If Thor had thought that this being his second time here would make him a lot less jittery then he was very wrong. He shuddered when those long, nimble fingers dipped under his shirt and glittered across his abdomen.

“Back so soon, Thor?”

“It wasn’t my idea.” Thor mumbled, his eyes widening when he realized just what he said. All he got from Loki was a raised brow, his hands still mapping out the planes of Thor’s torso under the soft material.

Thor nearly jumped out of his skin when one of those hands dropped down to grope at his ever increasing bulge. “You’re a big boy, Thor,” Loki grinned. “Surely you came here of your own volition, yes?” He nuzzled the blonde’s bearded cheek. “And you came to me so willingly, did you not?”

“With a scathing retort towards my first intended company for the night.” Thor gasped as the hand applied just a hint of pressure bordering on pain.

Loki snorted. “Lorelei and Clea need to be knocked down a few pegs every once in a while.”

Thor finally managed enough thought to spur himself into action, gripping Loki’s hips and pulling the lithe body against his much broader form. He leaned down for a kiss, the ebony haired man resisting at first before bringing his hands up to grip Thor’s face as he returned it fervently. Thor’s hands dropped further to grip Loki’s ass through the black silk robe, the pale man gripping his shoulders as he gave a light jump, wrapping his legs around Thor’s waist as the blonde maneuvered them over to the bed.

\----------------------

Loki sighed as the first thick finger breached him, tilting his head back to give Thor better access to plant small kisses along his Adam’s apple. The slow movement of said finger was twisting and thrusting far too slow and it was infuriating. He hadn’t felt a desperation like this for quite some time and couldn’t wait any longer for Thor to stretch him. _Fuck this_. Loki reached down and grabbed Thor’s wrist, halting his movements and earning a confused glance.

“I can’t wait, just fuck me already.” he commanded.

The blonde looked rather dubious, but he made to get off the bed to get the condom that they had forgotten in their haste to undress each other - he was stopped when those long fingers tightened around his wrist.

“Fuck me.”

Thor frowned. “But-”

Loki cut him off. “In me. _Now_.”

Thor mumbled something under his breath along the lines of “bossy” and opened the tube of lube up, the smell of cinnamon permeating through the air as he coated himself generously.

Were they being reckless? Yes, but Thor was just a far gone as Loki was, the _needy_ look on that mostly impassive face spiked his lust to another level as he positioned himself at Loki’s entrance.

It was a very tight fit, especially since they’d forgone the majority of the preparation. Loki’s face screwed itself into a mild grimace, forcing himself to take deep breaths as Thor worked to embed himself inside him. Loki panted and looked up at the ceiling when Thor finally bottomed out, willing his body to relax, maybe he should have gone with the extra prep, he’d obviously forgotten just how well-endowed Thor was.

It took a while, but he finally gave Thor a sharp nod to continue. Thor pulled back only slightly before easing back in, this felt even better without the added barrier of latex and Thor fought the urge to rut shamelessly into the encompassing heat that surrounded his member. He reached under Loki to cant his hips up, the change of angle wrenching a choked gasp from the man underneath him.

“Again.” Loki panted, his hands coming up to clutch at his biceps.

Thor pulled almost all the way out, only the head remaining inside before slamming back in, peeling a shriek from Loki as he hit his sweet spot dead on. He didn’t let up after that, having to pull Loki back every now and again when the jarring movements scooted him further up the bed. The sounds of the headboard of the bed clashing with the wall and the sharply pitched cries from slim man beneath him spurred him on as he chased down an orgasm for them both.

“Thor, I can’t-” Loki sobbed, “I - _ah_ \- touch me, please!”

Thor complied, reaching down to grasp the impossibly hard shaft between their bodies. A few strokes later and Loki was seeing stars, a bone-deep shudder wracking his frame as he spilled between them. Several thrusts later and Thor was tumbling behind him, the clenching passage wrenching him for all he was worth.

Loki couldn’t find the breath to complain, though he batted weakly at his shoulders when Thor collapsed on him, nearly crushing him under his bulk. Thor pulled out gingerly and flopped onto his back next to him, panting like a well-used racehorse.

“That,” he panted, “was even better than the last time.”

Though the ache that was slowing beginning to build warned him against a second round of the same treatment, Loki couldn’t have agreed more.


	8. Suspicious Activity and Cheesecake!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I actually went through it this time but if you spot errors I demand that I be notified (not necessarily demand but it would be nice). Anyways, enjoy!

Thor nodded and grinned at workers and various staff members he saw in both the underground parking lot and on the elevator up to his office. It was near impossible to fight off the grin that graced his features, and how could he after a night with Loki? And it was all at Tony’s expense (not like it even scratch the surface of Stark’s pocket).

“Good morn, Sif!”

Sif, ever the professional, gave him a curt nod and small smile. “Mr. Odinson. Your brother is waiting in the office for you.”

He had given up on getting her to call him Thor after her first year at Marvel. “My thanks for informing me, Sif.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Odinson.”

Thor immediately spotted his older brother when he went inside. “Good morn, brother. How are you?” he asked as he closed the door behind him.

The look on Balder’s face once he had gotten a good look at him put him on edge and his expression fell instantly. “What’s wrong, brother?” Thor dropped in his leather chair across from Balder, placing his briefcase on the desk between them.

“Well-”

“Did I miss anything? You said anything yet?” Tony barged his way in, locking the door behind him before plopping down on the chair next to the older Odinson.

Balder shook his head. “I was just about to start explaining.”

“Go on.”

Balder got straight to the point. “I was going through my weekly check of files and data and found signs of tampering.”

Thor bristled and Tony cursed under his breath.

“So my suspicions were correct.” Tony said more to himself than either blonde.

“Luckily the systems you and Bruce have set has kept anyone from actually getting into our hard drives and stealing our data, but it’s still cause of major concern. I believe we should be on the lookout for potential espionage. Both in and outside the company staff.”

Thor pursed his lips. “We’ll have to get one of our finest techs to try and trace where these attacks are coming from.”

“Nonsense,” Tony waved him off. “I’ll put my project on hold and let Bruce put the finishing touches on the other. I’ll see to it myself.”

“Good, the less people involved the less of a chance it has to reach the eyes and ears of a potential spy.” Thor agreed. “I’ll have to talk to Barton and Heimdall about fishing out anything or anyone that’s even remotely suspicious. This is highly deliberate and we can spare nothing.”

“And I’ll deliver the files that have been tampered with to you Stark and I’ll work on transferring our data onto a separate entity just in case.” Balder added. “Before I go though, what had you in such a high spirits, brother?”

Thor flushed as Tony cackled.

“It would seem as if _someone_ had a fantastic night.” Tony stated smugly. “And to think you didn’t want to go in the first place.”

“Am I missing something here?” Balder frowned curiously. 

Thor shook his head. He wasn’t sure he was even remotely ready to tell his brother of mysterious Loki yet. “I haven’t been out in quite some time brother, and last night’s excursions proved to be very entertaining.”

“Great, I’ll even admit that you’ve been buried in that computer screen and those papers for quite some time.” Balder nodded and got up from his seat to leave. Unlocking the door, he turned back to Thor and Tony. “Perhaps I could join you next time.”

Tony cracked up in loud bouts of laughter as soon as he was out the door. “We _have_ to take him with us next time. Give him a little taste of the Loki Experience too.”

Thor’s grip on the arm of the chair increased dramatically, the squeak of the leather cutting Tony’s guffawing.

“You okay, big guy?”

“Fine.” Thor counted to ten in his head before easing his grip significantly.

Tony cocked his head to the side. “You sure?”

“Quite.”

“Mhm.” Tony vacated his chair. “Well I’m headed down to the labs to document the progress that’s been made up to this point before I put the project on temp hiatus.”

Thor’s teeth didn’t stop grinding long after Stark’s departure.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

He couldn’t _believe_ how foolish he had been last night! It was one thing to allow a few kisses here and there but it was a completely different matter to forgo contraceptives, especially considering his condition and circumstances! What made Thor so different that he would forego his safety in the heat of passion like that? He was no closer to the answer than he was when he came home last night.

“What has that bell pepper done to spur your spite, Loki?” Angrboda questioned as she entered the kitchen, Sigyn on her hip sucking her thumb.

Loki pulled her hand away from her mouth when they came close enough. “That is a nasty habit to have, sweetheart.”

“Sorry, Momma.” Her green eyes - Loki’s eyes - scanned the cutting board. “What you making?”

“What _are_ you making, Syn.” Loki corrected, earning an eye-roll from his longtime friend/babysitter. “Sweet potato and red pepper pasta, love.”

“Yum. And you’re going to turn her into a grammar Nazi, Loki.”

“Being ‘grammar Nazi’ is better than being inarticulate. Being well-spoken can only benefit her and you know this as well as I.”

“Whatever you say. I’m staying for dinner. I couldn’t help but notice you don’t have anything in the way of sweets for dessert- which surprises me greatly knowing you as well as I do, so I’m heading to the Cheesecake Factory downtown-”

“Cheesecake!” Sigyn grinned and clapped excitedly, both adults smiling fondly at the sweet tooth she also inherited from Loki.

“Would you mind if Sigyn accompanied me and picked the flavor?”

If there was anyone he trusted more with his daughter than himself, it was Angrboda. She was steadfastly attached to Loki’s little angel and would die before she let something happen to her. He needed a few moments to continue his brooding of the previous evening anyway.

“Fine, but-”

“Don’t take your eyes off her for a minute.” Angrboda smiled at him. “You know I won’t.” 

“Very well then.” He leaned over to kiss the little girl on the cheek. “Be safe and be back quickly.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“You have the taste of a 5 year old, brother.” Balder rolled his eyes as they waited in line at the local Cheesecake Factory.

“As I recall, you accompanied me voluntarily.” Thor shot back, taking a step forward when the line moved up, the only thing separating them from the counter was an average height woman with a small child. “You didn’t _have_ to be here.”

“Which one do you want, Syn?” They overheard the woman ask.

The child - a little girl - wiggled out of her arms before gluing her face and hands to the display case of the many cheesecakes available. “Chocolate chip cookie!”

The brothers couldn’t help but chuckle at the small girl’s excitement. She turned around at the sound and her green eyes widened exponentially once she took them both in, Thor in particular. She approached them in awe as the woman placed their order and proceeded to dig through her purse.

“Wow! You’re _huge_! And you’re taller than Mommy!” she exclaimed.

Thor got down on his haunches to smile at the little girl. “Am I know?” he teased.

“Uh huh,” she nodded eagerly. “And you’re pretty, too!”

Thor fought the urge to punch Balder on the side of his knee as he snickered. Instead he tsked and waved a finger back and forth. “Thank you, but I’m nowhere near as pretty as you.”

The girl giggle sheepishly and fiddled around with the edges of her dress.

“Crud! I must have left my wallet.” The woman sighed. “This is rather embarrassing.”

Thor stood up and touched the woman on her shoulder. “I’ll settle the bill for you.”

“You don’t have to-”

Thor cut off her protests. “I insist. It would be my pleasure for someone who gave life to such sweetheart deserves a treat herself.”

Thor thought he saw confusion in the woman’s eyes before she shook it off in favor of clarity and ushered the smiling girl to the side. Thinking nothing of it he made his own order before paying for both.

“What do we say?” The woman asked the girl as she took her to-go box from the clerk.

“Thank you, mister!”

“You’re very welcome, little lady.” Thor replied, returning the wave she bestowed as she and the woman left.

“Cute kid.” Balder said as they took a seat at near one of the windows.

“Very.” Thor chuckled as he immediately dived into a slice of Tiramisu cheesecake. It was funny, he couldn’t help but recall another pair of green eyes as vibrant and just a tad bit mischievous as that of the small girl.


	9. Bitter Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigyn's father and Loki's project.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not too content with how this chapter turned out but here it is anyway. It's a Loki chapter, yay! We'll see Bragi around in just a bit, I haven't forgotten him. As always if you spot anything let me know. Enjoy!

“He was _huge_ Mommy! He’s taller _and_ bigger than Daddy. And he told me I was pretty!”

Loki had been hearing more of the same since the two got back from the Cheesecake Factory. Every so often throughout dinner he would cast a glance over at Angie for a means of explanation, but so far she replied with only her silence and an amused grin.

“He was rather handsome, wasn’t he Sweetie?” Angrboda smirked, finally speaking.

Sigyn nodded eagerly as she slurped up a string of pasta, Loki cringing as the sauce clung around her mouth.

“Who’s he?” Loki glared at Angie, leaning across the table with a napkin to wipe her little face clean. “Who did you have around my daughter? You know how I feel about that.”

She waved him off. “He was behind us in line at the Factory. Very good thing too, I forgot my wallet in Syn’s room and he paid for the cake. She’s an adorable child, she’s hard to ignore.”

“If we go back do you think he’ll be there?” Sigyn asked excitedly.

“Syn-” Loki was cut off by the sound of the doorbell ringing. “Stay here,” he instructed as he got up from the table to answer the door.

Loki felt a heady mixture of rage, underlying longing, and surprise when he opened the door.

“Um,” The man scratched the back of his head nervously and awkwardly. “Hey.”

“James? How dare you show your face around here?” Loki snarled.

“I just came around to see how-”

“Daddy!”

Both men turned to see their daughter tear down the hall to stand beside her mother, her eyes trained upon the man on the porch in pure adoration. Loki’s hand clenched on the doorknob as James leaned down to pick up the little girl, his fingers combing through the long, brown hair she inherited from his side of the gene pool.

“Angel! How are you?”

“Good! You were gone long this time, Daddy.”

“Two fucking years.” Loki muttered angrily, James over at him having heard what he said, giving him an apologetic look which Loki chose not to acknowledge.

“I know, Sweetheart,” James kept his eyes on Loki. “But this time I intend to be here for as long as you need me.”

Only the sudden appearance of Angie’s hand on the small of his back kept him from doing something irrational.

“Angie.” James nodded at the woman.

“Bucky.”

“Daddy do you want to see some of the things I drew? And my friend Sleipnir?”

“Sleipnir? Is that another dog?” James looked at Loki in confusion - how dare he act so nonchalant about all of this! “You got rid of Bragi? And I’d love to see your drawings Angel, if I had the permission of course.”

“Sleipnir’s her stuffed animal.” Loki fought the urge to grind his teeth, it too was a disgusting habit. “And we are in the middle of dinner.”

“Great! I’m starved.” Angie pulled Loki back as James stepped, _uninvited_ , into the house. “The kitchen’s still the same, right?” He didn’t wait for a confirmation, walking towards the room in question as he listened to Sigyn talk about the latest things that happened to her.

Loki shut the door with a calmness he didn’t feel.

“Loki-”

“How dare he just act as if the last two years didn’t happen?!”

Angie put her hand on his shoulder. “Loki-”

“He lies with those whores from down the street and leaves me for one of them and now he just waltz back in here like none of it even happened. And let’s not get me started on all he has missed in Sigyn’s life-”

“And that’s why you need to let him in. You can ignore him all you want, but don’t deny Sigyn this.”

“He’s done this before Angie! Showed up at random intervals only to disappear again. Would it be wrong of me to want to protect my daughter from her heart breaking again?”

“Loki, I’ve been in contact with Bucky for a while now-”

“Explains why you two are on _such_ good terms.”

“Only because he knew he wouldn’t have gotten anywhere with you directly. We all make mistakes. I...I really think he’s changed. He’s settled down in the downtown area and he’s even putting that degree to use. He’s going to be working back and forth between the labs and information department at Marvel Industries. Marvel, Loki!”

“So what you’re saying is that I should just take him back with open arms, mh? He’s buttered you up with all these tales of accomplishments so you could relay them back to me, so I can swoon over what he’s become. I don’t think so.”

Loki pushed past her and ascended up the stairs. Angie sighed as she watched him take the steps two and three at a time; shaking her head she moved to join the other two at the dinner table. Two pairs of eyes - one green and one blue - turned to her when she entered the kitchen.

“Where’s Mommy?”

“Mommy didn’t feel well and went upstairs,” she answered as she sat back down in front of her plate. “Keep eating.”

“I take that it didn’t go well with him then.”

“What can you expect, James? Give it time, and don’t run off again and maybe. Just maybe.”

James nodded, forking a bit of pasta in his mouth. “He’s still a terrific cook. I’ve missed this, amongst other things. I should try talking to him again-”

“You’re getting nowhere tonight. I wouldn’t bother.”

James reached over and squeezed her hand tightly. “Thank you. For all of this.”

“Don’t think me for anything yet. He still despises your very existence and after that talk we just had even I’m not sure I like you right now.”

 

\--------------------------------

 

Loki pulled on an errant book and watched as the shelf in his study slid to the left just enough to reveal the small opening in the wall. He slipped into the darkness easily, pressing a small indentation on the wall on the inside and flipped on the lights as the shelf slid closed again. He walked down the set of mini-stairs that led to the center where a child sized pillar stood in the middle of the room. On the center of the pillar rested a small cube that hummed with potential energy.

He had been working on the cube - an object he’d dubbed the Tesseract - for a few years now. In just that three square foot cube lied the power to alter reality, from a holographic standpoint that is. Throughout those years he’s tampered with altering this very room into a field, a lake area, and a library, but he had yet to stabilize it enough to make it tangible and the illusions only lasted for a half an hour tops.

His father had mentioned a way of finding out how to stabilize it all, but he found that all that he has to say nowadays went through one ear and out the other unless a threat was laced with whatever he said. He funded him enough to keep this project going, but heavens forbid that he give his son and granddaughter anything to live off of; his main support being James until he decided he wanted to experience what a vagina and breasts felt like, leaving Loki to pick up the slack at the Valhalla.

Loki waved his hand over the Tesseract, watching as it slowly came to life. Maybe he could see if he could get that field to hold on for just a bit longer.


	10. Welcome to Marvel, Mr. Barnes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and James have a little "talk" and Tony has some rather unorthodox interviewing methods. Aka, he's a nosy little bugger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter definitely got away from me the minute I thought it was a good idea to have Tony included in the interview process. If you see any mistakes let me know please. Commenting isn't necessary but it's inexplicably appreciated. Enjoy!

Loki watched as Sigyn’s eyes slowly drifted shut, the hand combing gently through her hair lulling her to sleep, his voice ebbing off as he ended the soft song he sang to her. With the excitement of seeing her father again and the two of them playing actively in Loki’s absence had worn the poor thing out. 

That’s how it’s been for the past two weeks, with James coming for dinner - Loki letting him in begrudgingly once Sigyn caught sight of him in the entranceway (he also made sure that Angie was there as a solid buffer between them) - and staying quite some time after to interact with the small girl. Once dinner was over Loki quickly disappeared, going up to his study to read or altering his calculations on the Tesseract and by the time he’d finish James would be gone and he would put his angel to sleep.

Once he was sure that she was asleep he eased off of her bed and turned to quietly leave, stopping in his tracks when he saw James standing in the doorway. Taking a deep breath he continued forward, sliding past the man that had been watching him.

“You still have a beautiful voice.” James said as he eased the door closed.

“Why are you still here?” Loki shot back in return.

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“If it isn’t about Syn I do not want to hear it.”

“ _Loki_ -”

“If you’ll excuse me I have to be going or I will be late.”

“Late? Where are you going at this time of night?”

“That is no concern of yours as it doesn’t involve you.”

“You are the mother of my child of course I’m concerned about you.”

“Mother of your child? Mh, as I recall that bit of logic slipped your mind when you were in the middle of your dalliances with those bints whose bed you warmed even while I was _carrying_ said child. _And_ let us not forget how you abandoned said child for _two years_.”

James’ shoulders sagged. “I know. And I shudder to think of how I was like then. I have _changed_ now, Loki. Those two years were spent bettering myself. How could I put up false pretenses in her presence when I know I caused the one that bore her so much pain? I come here now that I can say that things are different. I. Have. _Changed_.”

Loki snorted. “I don’t believe you nor do I trust you.”

“How am I prove myself when I’m not even offered the chance, Loki?” James asked in exasperation.

“You’re a supposed genius, I suggest you figure it out.” Loki answered, leaving the man standing in the hallway, he had to head out or he would be late.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“This guy has all sorts of credentials. Bit of a child prodigy. Graduated at the top of his high school class with a spotless grade point average at the age of 13 and did it again when he graduated from MIT with his Ph.D. at the age of 18. He’s worked with the likes of Reed Richards, Erik Lehnsherr, Charles Xavier, and Henry McCoy - all of them giving him stellar evaluations.”

“Haven’t you worked with all of them?” Balder leaned forward on the table. “And didn’t they give you less than stellar reviews?”

Tony looked up from the file he was reading, scowling.

“His work ethic can never truly be put into question.” Tony grinned over at Thor as he spoke. “His attitude however,” Tony’s smile dropped, scowl firmly back in place. “It leaves a lot to be desired.”

The three men were all in one of the smaller, more exclusive meeting rooms, awaiting the arrival of their newest recruit, one James Barnes. They had been informed of his request to work for Marvel and they’ve been running through the standard background checks and the like for the last two weeks while his notice at the small time company he was leaving ran its course.

“He’s more beneficial to Info Tech.” Balder said.

Tony slammed the folder down. “No way, Blondie. He’s comin’ down to the labs with Bruce and me. His background obviously points more towards hands on stuff.”

“That may be the case but he’s more than proficient at handling data. You and Bruce are more than enough down there. It would do my division more than good to have him there.”

“That’s just too bad.” Tony replied, enunciating each word with a shift of the head from left to right and back again. “Tell ‘im Thor.”

Thor sighed, because after all - as owner of eighty percent of Marvel Industries - it was ultimately his decision on where Barnes would go. On one hand it would be good for Balder to have additional backup in Info Tech and Balder was his brother, but he also showed a staggering amount of promise in the labs alongside Stark and Banner and the thought of having to put up with a potential tantrum should Tony not get his way was very unappealing.

He would choose the easiest way out of this. “We will get a feel for what he leans toward the most as we speak to him.”

Both men sitting on either side of him groaned and flopped back in their seats with identical pouts on their faces. And to think that the two of them were consider to be amongst the most influential and powerful people in the world disturbed him greatly.

“How’s everything going with the tampering?” Thor inquired, smoothly diverting the topic.

“Whoever they are, they’re elusive as fuck, but I’m starting to pick up on a few patterns. They’re making rather elementary mistakes, but they cover their tracks like a true pro.” Tony responded. “This is gonna be a heavy case of cat and mouse for a while.”

There was a knock on the door before Sif poked her head in. “James Barnes as you requested, Sir.” She pushed the door open and stepped back, allowing Barnes to enter before pulling the door closed behind him. He was dressed immaculately, donning a gray plaid Canali suit with silver cufflinks, his face clean-shaven and his hair tied back in a small bun.

The three main executives stood up, each coming up to give him a firm handshake.

“It’s great to finally meet you, Mr. Barnes. We’ve read and heard many good things.” Thor addressed as they all sat down.

“Whew. That’s a relief.” They shared a chuckle at the joke. “I’m glad though. I’ve been looking to be a part of all this for some time. And it’s James if you would please.”

“Well James, like Thor said we’ve viewed all of your qualifications so to discuss them would be fuckin’ stupid.” Tony fought down a wince when both Thor and Balder kicked him under the table. “We’d really like to hear more about the person than the accomplishments.”

James nodded, clasping his hand in front of him on the table. “Well, what would you like to know?”

“Anything really. Your personal take on your work ethic, what got you into the tech world, _preferences_.” Tony jumped in his seat when he got another foot to each of his shins.

James chuckled. “Well, I feel that I’m rather laid back but attentive as well. The sheer potential of what technology can achieve not only now but in the future is what drew me to it all in the first place. Not only can we go beyond what humanity perceives as the norm, we can make it better because of those advancements. That and knowing your way around computers and gadgets got you quite a bit of _attention_ , so to speak, where I’m from. As for preferences, I would ask that you define your terms.”

Balder groaned. “Please don’t encourage him.”

“He can get rather personal. And need I remind him that it’s unprofessional of him to do so.” Thor gave Tony a glare. “I recommend that you don’t give him the satisfaction if it makes you uncomfortable.”

James waved a hand. “Nonsense. I hope to be here for quite a long time if you’ll have me and what better time to start to get to know each other better than now? I don’t have much to be ashamed of.”

Thor winced at the excited look on Stark’s face but shrugged nonetheless. “You have been warned.”

“Funny thing you should mention relationships.” Tony leaned forward as he wriggled in seat. “Any significant other that would be _ecstatic_ for you to be working at the greatest tech company in the universe?”

“Why do you always go there?” Balder rolled his eyes.

“Shut up. You’re curious too now that I asked.”

James fought down a grin at the short man’s antics. “It’s complicated. I’m trying to sew up a few rough patches.”

“A guy like you with relationship troubles?” Tony leaned back. “I’m surprised. Who’s the girl you’re groveling to?”

“ _He_ -” James raised a brow when Tony pumped his fist in the air. “He’s not the type to easily cater to groveling, but his stubbornness is one of the reasons I still feel for him.”

“Who is he? What does he look like? Have we seen him around? Don’t leave me hangin’.”

Balder leaned closer to Thor. “Shouldn’t we stop him? What kind of interview is this? All professionalism is out the window.” he whispered.

Thor shrugged. “It’s not the first time he’s done this. And if he insists on answering the questions then who are we to stop him?”

“But _Thor_...”

“The best way I can describe him is exotic.” James smiled. “I used to always try to get him to catch a bit of sun, but he insists that his skin is fine the way to is. I can’t help but agree. I remember also trying to get him to let his hair grow out, it looks fantastic and makes his eyes even greener than they really are. He’s about an inch or two shorter than me.”

Thor froze.

“Many would say his personality is abrasive but it gives him a fire like no other. Whatever you dish out he can give it back to you tenfold.”

He couldn’t be talking about who Thor thinks he’s talking about.

“So he’s tall, dark, and handsome?” Tony was in full teenage girl mode now. “Hey Thor, we should set up a spousal or family function or something. We’ve never done anything like it and it could be good. Boost company morale and all that good stuff. 

“You just want a reason to pry even more than you are now.” Balder snorted. “I think we’ve been here long enough. He’s pretty much got the job. Now the question is where to put him?”

“Since we’ve already established a connection here I think he should come down to the lab with me.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Thor?”

“He spends a week in the lab and a week in info tech. We’ll decide where he’ll take permanent residence afterwards.” Thor reached across the table with his hand held out, James taking it graciously. “Welcome to Marvel, James.”

Tony and Balder clapped him on the back as a brilliant smile graced his handsome features.

“It’s an absolute honor, Sir.”

“Well,” Tony stood up, pulling James up with him and practically dragging the man to the door. “Since he’s going to be in the lab first we’ll be taking our leave now. So tell me more about Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome...”

Thor and Balder could only stare behind the two as Tony talked James’ ear off.

“It’s a wonder how we don’t get called on our unorthodox interviewing process.”

“You mean Tony being nosy? I’m throwing him under the bus if we do.”

Balder grinned. “His idea about a family function isn’t a bad one though.”

Thor shook his head. “You know I’m no good with planning social occasions, Brother.”

“Although it was his idea, I’m reluctant to let Tony plan it.”

Thor stood and clapped his brother on the shoulder, nearly knocking him from his chair. “Have fun then, Brother.”


	11. Individual Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day at the park and a night at a cocktail party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's kinda short (not by too much) but what it lacks in length I hope it makes up for in substance. If you spot any errors let me know. Comments are vastly welcomed but aren't necessary. Enjoy!

The day was cloudy but still pleasantly warm and the breeze was light enough to keep the disturbance to the pages of the book in his lap to a minimum. His attention however, was focused on the little angel that seemed to be having the time of her life.

Loki couldn’t fight the grin off of his face as he watched his daughter shrieking with laughter as she darted about and played with few of the other children in the park, her blue polka-dot dress swishing this way and that. Chuckling, he looked back down at his book to continue where he left off, and soon he was so absorbed in the book it took a few moments to register that what sunlight he did have was blocked.

Looking up, he felt his good mood get blown away with the rather strong wind that shoved past. He fixed his face into a neutral mask as a large man sat next to him on the park bench.

“Loki.”

“Father.”

“Quite a lovely day to be out in the park, no?” The man asked, the green eyes he’d inherited boring straight into him.

Loki ignored the comment. “What do you want?”

Laufey faked a hurt look. “Can’t a father sit down to speak with one of his sons on the off chance of seeing him in public?”

“What do you want?” Loki repeated.

“I’ve put the word out during the Jotunheim press conference. I want that project completed in the near future, Loki.”

Loki closed the book, using his index finger as a bookmark. “Define ‘near future.’”

“As in two months from today.”

Loki’s eyes widened with incredulity. “Two months? Are you mad?”

“You have been working on it for seven years. It’s time to end this. I have goals that need to be met in order to undercut my competitors.”

“I know how long it’s been but it isn’t stabilized yet! And you said you’d find a way to help me do that.”

“It is a work in progress, but I want you to find out a way yourself. It never hurts to find your own way to achieve success, but I suspect that you don’t know what success is, do you?”

Loki hands clenched around his book and tried to let the insult fly past him. It wouldn’t been anywhere near the first time. “It will come when it is ready.”

The blazing look in his eyes belied his relaxed posture on the bench. “And it will be ready in two months.” He turned his gaze to the small girl frolicking about with the other annoyances on the playground. “I’d hate to see...unfortunate things happen, Loki.”

A cold feeling washed over Loki, settling snuggly into the pit of his stomach. He wouldn’t... would he? Loki didn’t want to find out.

“That _completed_ project is coming to a close in two months, yes?”

Loki kept his eyes trained on Sigyn as she continued to smile and giggle, oblivious to what was going on. Oblivious to the swirling ball of fear, anger, and helplessness he felt. “Y-yes.” he managed.

“Yes, what?”

Loki swallowed the lump that was stuck in his throat. “Yes, sir.”

If the smile that those thin lips formed made Loki’s skin crawl, the large hand that squeezed his shoulder made him want to vomit. “Good. I’ll be seeing you soon, son.”

Sigyn’s eyes finally looked over to where they sat, her eyes quizzical as her grandfather stood and waved at her. Giving a small, hesitant wave in return, she waited until he climbed in the car with the other scary men before scurrying over, her game of tag completely forgotten.

“Are you okay, Mommy?” she asked, noticing the look on her mother’s face.

Loki blinked twice as his daughter came into focus. “I’m fine, sweetheart.”

Sigyn looked highly skeptical, she was brilliant for a girl her age. “Mommy...”

Loki forced a smile on his face and quickly dog-eared the page of the book he was last on and stood. “Why don’t you and I get some ice cream cones before going home, yes?”

Sigyn’s eyes lit up. “Ice cream! Ice cream!” She eagerly took the hand that was offered to her and a bounce accompanied each step she made as he guided her to the stall just a few feet away. She could still tell there was something wrong with her mother, but she was willing to put it to the side for now, a vanilla cone with extra chocolate sprinkles was calling her name.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Thor pulled at the collar of his dress shirt as he tried to make himself disappear. It was times like this that being as large as he was happened to be a serious disadvantage. 

Tony had charged right into the fray of the cocktail party as soon as they had arrived, and after just ten minutes he’d lost track of his brother as well. The bombardment came right after that, two brunette women who had been watching him like a pair of hawks swooping down on him with exaggerated pouts of the lip and fluttering of the eyelashes. 

This was one of the downsides to running a business - networking. Normally he wouldn’t mind, but tonight it seemed that every woman (and even a few men) that he made eye contact with or otherwise just had to attach themselves to his arm. Decked in a metallic silver Hugo suit with a white dress shirt and black Edward Green dress shoes, he knew he looked rather dashing but the attention was driving him crazy - and not in a good way either. Was it everyone else’s mating season but his?

He flicked his sleeve out of the way and checked the time on his Tourbillon watch. Crap, it was only half past eight.

“Oh Thor, there you are. I’ve been looking for you since I heard of your arrival.”

Thor wondered if he could make a run for it and jump out of the window just a few feet away when he recognized that voice. He turned to find a familiar (boy did he wish they weren’t) pair green eyes and immaculately styled blonde hair.

“Amora.”

The woman grinned and saddled up to him, snagging two flutes of champagne from a waiter carrying a tray full. Thor reluctantly accepted it - she didn’t have enough time to possibly slip something into it - and took a sip, hiding a cringe in the process when he felt her wrap her arm around his like a leech.

“This event is rather tedious, is it not?”

“Very.” Thor mumbled. Maybe if he kept his answers short she would get the message and leave him be? It was certainly worth a try.

“I’m glad we agree.” She walked her fingers up the crook of his elbow. “I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt anyone if we... found a more interesting place to be perhaps?”

Straight to the point.

Thor knew if he squeezed the flute as hard as he wanted to his hand would be covered in glass shards and champagne.

“Thor, my man!”

Thor never thought he would be as glad to hear Stark’s voice as he is now, he kept a solid poker face though. If he looked desperate he would never be rid of her. “Tony.”

Tony clapped him on the back and threw his arm around his shoulder to the best of his ability considering the staggering difference in their respective heights. “There’s a guy from Microsoft that’s just dying to meet you.” He flicked his brown eyes over to Amora. “I’m just gonna borrow him from you. Official Marvel business and such.”

Amora glared daggers down at Tony as he steered Thor away from her and through the mass of New York’s finest.

“So, who’s this associate from Microsoft?” Thor asked.

“There isn’t one.” Tony snorted. “Microsoft? Are you kidding me?” he scoffed.

“Then I owe you one, Stark.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Tony replied, steering them towards one of the rear exits. “Jeez, what are you packin’ down there? You had sex the woman once and she’s all over you like a bitch in heat every time she sees you. And she isn’t the first one. You’ve got quite the rep and can back it up apparently, Fabio.”

“I’d rather not discuss this. Where are we going? You know Balder won’t like us leaving him.”

Tony waved off his concerns as they slipped through the exit, a sleek town car waiting for them. “He’ll be fine. And besides, you owe me one, right?”

Against his better judgment Thor slid into the car, followed by Tony. It was better than being clung onto by Amora and the other succubi that littered the party. “Where are you taking me?”

Tony gave him a smirk. “Where do you think?”

Thor could already feel his pulse quicken in anticipation.


	12. To Date or Not to Date?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor's back at the Valhalla with some unexpected results following.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you spot any errors let me know please. The author loves comments, however, they aren't necessary. Enjoy!

Loki’s eyed his reflection in the large mirror critically as he combed his unruly strands to their usual, slicked back style. He leaned forward, placing his hands on the long counter as he gave himself a final once over - his shoulders sagged, his heart wasn’t in this tonight, especially after the conflict with his father earlier today.

Still, the money wasn’t going to make itself so he sucked it up and left the dressing room. The fabric of the satin robe caressed his thighs gently as he journeyed down the hall to his chamber. Stopping at the door, he took one last deep breath before putting on his usual mask and holding his head high as he entered.

He would never admit to the overwhelming sense of relief he felt when he saw the familiar large figure standing in the middle of the room. He let the facade drop substantially as he closed the door behind him.

The skin along the blonde’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Loki.”

It was Loki’s every intention to smirk and conjure up some witty reply to leave the blonde floundering, but instead he found himself quickly closing the distance between them before pulling Thor down for a sound kiss. He could feel the surprise in the way the hard body tensed before easily relaxing, Thor’s hand twisting in his hair to pull him even closer.

When they parted for breath those blue eyes held no small amount of concern. “Loki?”

Before he had a chance to ask any questions Loki was on him again, this time steering them over to the bed. He didn’t want to talk about his screwed up family problems, no matter how tempting those seemingly caring eyes made it. With a light shove Thor plopped down on the bed, quickly leaning back as he received a lap full of Loki.

“Loki-”

He cut him off with another kiss. Loki’s tongue traced his bottom lip and Loki felt the fight ease out of him as those thick arms wrapped around his frame, pressing them close together. Loki shoved his hands between them, untucking Thor’s dress shirt and making quick work of the buttons. Pushing it off, he leaned down and nuzzled one of the strong shoulders as Thor pulled his arms out and tossed it in a random direction. Loki began to fiddle with Thor’s belt and those thick fingers moved to undo the knot in his robe. Loki stood, shucking off the gleaming material while Thor followed suit - divesting himself of his shoes and socks before dropping his suit pants, not wasting any time sliding down his black boxer briefs. 

Standing before him in nothing but the gloriously golden skin that he was born with, Thor was human perfection at its finest. Loki could easily stare at him for days on end and not spot a single flaw or get bored with what he saw. Not that he would admit that either. Thor walked up to him, slipping his thumbs into the waistband of Loki’s briefs, his eyes focused solely on Loki’s as he tugged them down.

Loki was startled when a large hand cupped the side of his neck, the thumb tracing the outline of his jaw; he surprised even himself when he eagerly leaned into the touch. Thor gave him a brilliant smile that made him feel funny before dipping down to kiss him, this one much slower than any of the others they shared previously and it implied things that Loki wasn’t too sure of. He squeaked when he was suddenly lifted off the ground - James was only other person outside of his family that had been able to do so, and even he wasn’t able to do it with such ease.

He squirmed as he was deposited on the bed, watching as Thor rifled through the drawer for lube. He pulled out a regular tube, his eyes casting a quick glance at Loki, a question in his eyes. Loki pondered it for a moment - the last time they had done this he was desperate enough to throw caution to the wind, would he do so now that he had some of his wits about him? Loki shook his head, the only indication of Thor’s surprise was the raising of a brow.

He shut the drawer and climbed back onto the bed, leaning down to press kisses along Loki’s collarbone as he worked open the top and drizzled some of the lube onto his fingers. Loki sighed when he felt the first digit slip inside of him, nuzzling Thor’s beard covered cheek until he got the hint and their lips met again.

Loki’s head dropped back down onto the bed, his eyes slipping closed as Thor continued to prepare him for what was to come. He opened them again when he felt Thor pull away, using some more of the lube to slick himself before he settled in between Loki’s legs. Loki wrapped his arms around those broad shoulders and legs around his thick waist, his face screwing up into a wince when he was finally breached. They had done this quite a few times in Thor’s ‘visits’ to him but he’s never gotten used to receiving his girth - it had been over a fortnight since he last had him - and he was panting lightly and feeling impossibly full as Thor bottomed out inside him.

Thor reached up and stroked the top of his head as Loki slowly adjusted to him. Once he received Loki’s nod to continue, Thor set a smooth and easy pace. Loki basked in the light touches and nuzzles to his skin, desperate to hold on to the affection long denied to him in his adolescence amplified by today’s encounter and short-lived in his ill-fated relationship with James.

Loki let out a choked sob and he clutched at Thor’s shoulders as his length grazed languidly over his prostate, Thor peppering his forehead with light presses of his lips and keeping the angle, reaching down to stroke him with equally lazy movements of his hand. The feeling that had started out as a slow knot forming in his stomach hit him with a sudden intensity; he gasped as he spilled between them, Thor stilling above him before he felt a warmth seep inside of him.

The fog cleared when Thor pulled out of him, standing up and going to the bathroom, coming back moments later with a damp cloth. Loki turned his head away as Thor cleaned them both, tossing the cloth away and collapsing on the bed next to Loki, his blue eyes thoughtful as he looked at him.

“Loki?”

“What?”

“Why are you here?”

Loki snorted. “When I have a better means of income I won’t be.”

“Loki-”

“Don’t.” Loki threw up his hand and pushed himself up off the bed, successfully locating his briefs and sliding them back on.

Thor stared at him in bewilderment, just moments before he had been so receptive to him and all of a sudden the walls were erected again and he was once more out of his reach.

“I noticed your attire. Shouldn’t you be in the company of the wealthy and elite instead of lying in the bed of a high-class whore?”

Thor wasn’t ready for the spike of anger that hit him. “Do not do this,” he stood up and approached the brunette. “You’re shutting me out.”

“How can you be shut out when you were never in to begin with?” Loki’s eyes narrowed. “I just did my job. Whatever you may have thought you felt in the interim is not my concern. We are complete strangers.”

“That could be rectified.”

Loki frowned. “What are you saying?”

“I was-” Thor suddenly looked uncomfortable, picking up his boxer briefs and pulling them on. “I was thinking that maybe we could, you know, have dinner or something?”

Loki gave him a blank look. “You’re serious?”

“Yes.”

Loki snatched up his robe, throwing it on before storming out of the room, leaving a baffled Thor in his wake.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“...and he asked me on a _date_ , Tasha. A _date_.” Loki finished, digging the vegetable peeler a little too deep into the carrot he was skimming. It had been a little over a week since that night and Loki had been more than a little relieved when Thor hadn’t come back.

“What’s so bad about that?”

“Tasha.” Loki glared at the small pit that was now in the side of his carrot. “We get this numerous amounts of times where those idiots believe themselves in love with us after a few visits.”

“So why is this bothering you now?”

“I don’t know! That is why I called you!”

“So you want my opinion even if you don’t like it most of the time?”

“Yes.” 

“Go for it.”

“What!?”

“Do you recall the guy that was with blondie and Tony?”

“Yes.”

“We’ve been...going steady since the first time he came to the place. I haven’t regretted it, maybe you won’t. From what Clint’s heard from Tony the guy seems to legitimately like you.”

“He doesn’t even know me! How can he like me?”

“Well, you said he asked you on a date, right? That’s how people get to know each other better. Or did you forget that in your antisocial ways?”

Loki decided to ignore that. She was more ‘antisocial’ than he was. “He knows what I do for a living. There’s a reason I haven’t had a relationship since I joined Valhalla.”

“You want to know a secret?”

“What?” Loki tossed the carrot into the bowl to his left and picked up another one to peel.

“My time there is limited.”

“What!? You’re leaving me by myself?”

“It’s lost its appeal since I got together with Clint. We’re getting pretty serious so it’s time to let it go. He said that I had assorted... skills I could put to use and work with him.”

“Ah, you mean that crazy Russian spy shtick?” 

“Whatever. Just give it a try. He knows what you do and he still asked you out. What have you got to lose?”

Loki peeled the carrot and reached for another one.

“Mh. I got you thinking. I’m gonna call Clint, keep your phone on you.”

“Tasha-” Loki’s head fell back when he heard the dial tone, the angle awkward since he had the phone cradled against his neck. He wiped off a hand and dropped the call from his end. He peeled two more carrots before his phone was vibrating against the marble counter.

“How dare you hang up on me?”

“Shut up, drama queen. Guess what I got for you?”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Thor scowled at the schedule in front of him. He decided that being a CEO wasn’t all it cracked up to be.

_A short meeting at 9:30._

_Phone conference at 10._

_Another meeting at noon._

_Conference at 1:30._

_Monthly department sweep from 2:30 to 4:00._

__Another _meeting at 4:15._

And the list went on and on until Marvel’s closing at 10 pm sharp. He wasn’t going to make it through it all alive. His only comfort was that Tony had to attend the majority of these things with him. He sighed when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket - it was his personal phone, so there was only one person brave(or stupid) enough to call him at this time. He didn’t bother to look at the caller id when he answered.

“What do you want, Stark?”

There was only silence.

Thor groaned in exasperation. “Really, Tony? You know-”

“This is not Tony Stark.”

Thor frowned and brought his phone down, the number was unfamiliar. “Who is this?” he asked.

Another pause. “It’s Loki.”

Thor froze. He hadn’t forgotten the debacle he made out of their last time together. How could he ever forget? “Wait. How did you get my number?”

“I have my ways.” Was the simple reply.

“Well, uh, what did you want then?”

He heard a long sigh over the phone. “Does your offer still stand?”

Thor was on the edge of his seat. “Y-yes?”

“Then I accept.”

Thor nearly fell out of his chair. “Y-you do? Are you serious?”

“Quite. I’m free Friday evening at six. I don’t do crowds and I don’t eat meat.” The heavy sound of the dial tone followed his last statement.

Thor didn’t hear it, because he was far too busy fist pumping the air and spinning in his chair to notice. He plant his foot down and stopped the circles abruptly. Friday was tomorrow. He knew he would probably regret it later but he punched Tony’s number into his phone and tapped his fingers on his desk as the phone rang.

“Fabio! What’s up?”

“Where’s a good place to eat on a Friday night that has good vegetarian options?”

“Oooohhh. Someone’s got a date! Who is it?”

“Tony-”

“Don’t ‘Tony’ me! You give me the deets and I’ll give you the best restaurant in town that’s veggie friendly.”

See, he knew he would regret this.


	13. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thor and Loki's first date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In lieu of Valentine's Day here you go. I didn't get a chance to read back over after the g&s check so if you see anything (and you just might) PLEASE let me know. Comments aren't necessary but the author will love you for them. Enjoy!

Thor checked his reflection as best he could in the rearview mirror as he pulled up in front of the two-story house. He glanced down at the text he’d received from Loki earlier today, making sure the addresses matched up before cutting off the engine and climbing out of his red Dodge. The closer he got to the door the sweatier his palms became, he hastily wiped them on his black slacks before ringing the doorbell.

Thor could hear a bit of a commotion on the inside of the house, he could hear the sound of both a man and woman before the door opened and Loki graciously slinked out onto the front porch. He looked nothing short of amazing; he wore a nice pair of black dress shoes, he couldn’t pin down the material that made up the obscenely tight black pants but certainly appreciated the view, and he completed the look with a lime green turtleneck that made his eyes appear much darker and sultrier than they already were. His hair was in its usual slicked back fashion, but a rebellious strand dangled around his pale cheek. Thor couldn’t tear his eyes away.

“What, no flowers?” Loki asked, raising a dark, immaculate brow.

“Well, uh...” Thor sputtered and scratched the back of his head, he hadn’t really thought about that.

Loki chuckled lightly, shaking his head. “I’m kidding, Thor.”

That was a relief, even if it was at his expense. Loki led the way down the cobblestone path through the lawn to Thor’s car.

“Mm. Not bad.” Loki commented as he climbed in the passenger side. “It fits you.”

“Thanks? It’s my pride and joy. I’ve had it for a couple of years now.” Thor replied as he buckled up and started the vehicle up.

“A few years?” Loki said as they pulled off. “I would think that you would have acquired a different vehicles to drive on a weekly basis.”

Thor snorted. “I only have the one parking space. One per flat.” At the inquisitive look he received from Loki, he went on. “You mistake me for Stark. He’s the one with the mansion and twelve-car garage. I grew up simple and will continue to do so with added conveniences.”

Loki’s lips took a steep downturn, but it wasn’t in the image of a frown. “Hm.”

The drive was silent for the rest of the journey to the restaurant, but Thor was relieved to find that it was a comfortable one. He parked in a space a bit far from the location itself due to the place being rather packed, and he quickly shut off the engine and hopped out - scurrying over to the passenger side before Loki even had his seat belt unbuckled. Thor opened the door, Loki giving him a look before shrugging as he unclipped the contraption and easily sliding out of the car.

Thor shut the door behind him and set his alarm before leading Loki through the maze of cars to the front entrance where a good sized line stood. The attendee at the door caught sight of them and immediately waved them to the front, Thor easing Loki forward through the door with a hand on the small of his back as the others in line sent jealous glares in their(make that Loki’s) direction.

The place was nice but not overbearingly fancy in its disposition. Loki was surprised that they weren’t at some classy, five star restaurant - he wasn’t at all disappointed. Again they bypassed everyone else to be greeted by what appeared to be one of the owners himself.

The middle-aged man held out a hand in which Thor easily took. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Odinson.”

Thor offered a friendly smile. “Same as well. And it’s just Thor, if you don’t mind.”

Loki repressed the urge to snort as the man nodded eagerly like a simple child.

“The table you requested is right this way.” The owner guided them through the crowd and to an elevator near the back of the establishment.

Loki frowned as they piled in, giving Thor a questioning look only to receive a mild grin in return. The ride wasn’t a long one and the door opened to reveal the rooftop of the building and a single table in the middle of it all. The light was provided by several fixtures in the ground and the table set up was rather simplistic.

“The waitress will be right up. Enjoy yourselves.”

“We definitely will, thank you.” Thor answered.

The hand was back again, pressing him forward and out of the elevator before the doors closed.

“We’re on a roof. We’re eating on a roof.” Loki stated.

“Yes. You struck me as someone who valued privacy. This was the best way to get it here.”

“And the restaurant itself?” Loki allowed Thor to pull out the chair for him.

“You didn’t strike me as the five-star restaurant type.” Thor shrugged, giving him a worried glance as he sat down. “You don’t like it?”

“It’s quite adequate.” Loki replied, his eyes quickly darting over the menu.

Thor nodded. After talking to Tony yesterday he got an outlandish amount of fine dining choices but none that would seem to suit Loki, so he had went to his brother for help, the older Odinson quickly suggesting the Ayza Wine & Chocolate bar. He would have to remember to thank him later.

“Hi,” both men turned to find their waitress - the typical shapely blonde (in Loki’s opinion anyway) with an offensive amount of bubbly energy, “I’m Jessica and I’ll be your server tonight. Is there anything I can get you? Drinks? Appetizers?”

She practically said all of this to Thor since her eyes were deadlocked on him, Loki felt a flare of annoyance burn through him.

“Two glasses of your best if you would.” Loki answered, the woman darting her eyes over to him as if this was her first time seeing him. Loki wished he had a pair of scissors to cut off her primped up excuse for hair.

The woman looked at Thor for confirmation, giving him a brilliant smile once he nodded. “Would that be all?”

“Some water with that would be nice.” Thor looked to Loki. “And if you’re ready to order...?”

“Actually, yes I am. The Pasta Radiatore will do just fine. Extra basil.”

The waitress made a show of fiddling in the breast pocket of her designer apron for her pen, jotting down Loki’s order when she ‘located’ it. “And you?” she batted her eyelashes at Thor. Did the woman have any shame at all? Why did women think that was a good way to attract attention?

“And I’ll have the Ayza Casserole, extra beef please.”

“Certainly.” She scribbled it down on her notepad. “I’ll be back with your wine and water shortly.”

“Thank you, Jessica.” Thor grinned at her.

The girl flushed and smiled back before scurrying to the elevator.

Loki fixed Thor with a look. “If you want I could gladly switch places with her.”

“Nonsense,” Thor’s smile grew. “It never hurts to play along every now and again.”

Loki’s expression turned amused. “Tease.”

Thor winked at him, and Loki’s stomach felt funny. He must really be hungry, it certainly wasn’t butterflies. He is Loki Laufeyson. He doesn’t do butterflies. He heard the click of heels and the waitress was back, when she said shortly she definitely meant it. She set Loki’s glass in front of him without flare, but she made sure to put her full breasts on partial display as she place both of Thor’s in front of him.

Loki fought the urge to throw his wine on her.

“Your dinner should be here in about ten minutes.” Another sickly sweet smile in Thor’s direction and she was gone.

They spent those ten minutes of her absence to make small talk, and Loki found that while he may not be quite on his level of genius, Thor was a very intelligent man. While Loki had almost effortlessly acquired his Ph.D.’s in both Nuclear Physics and Engineering in his late teens, Thor had completed his in the midst of the chaos of running a multinational corporation. There was certainly more to him beyond the glorious exterior and Loki couldn’t help but find himself intrigued - not that he would admit it.

Loki jumped when his food was placed in front of him, he hadn’t even noticed that the waitress had returned.

“Is there anything else you would like before I go?” she asked as she set Thor’s food in front of him with the utmost care. Loki rolled his eyes, this woman was unbelievable.

“Yes, actually.” Thor gently tugged her down and whispered something in her ear, Loki fighting a scowl as he picked up his fork and stabbed into his food with more force than what was required for pasta.

Loki didn’t bother to ask when the waitress left and they ate in a slightly tense silence.

“I asked for a favor and nothing more, Loki.”

Loki looked up to find an amused look on Thor’s face. He didn’t like it.

“No need to explain.”

“Is this something I need to be prepared for in the future?” Thor asked.

“What?”

“Your mouth says one thing yet your actions portray another. Are you jealous, Loki?”

Loki snorted. “Of course not. Why would I be jealous?”

“I would like to know that as well. You’re better mannered, certainly more intelligent, and even more beautiful than she could even hope to be.”

Loki flushed and cast his eyes immediately back at his food, slowly peeking up to find a soft smile on the blonde’s face - there was that flutter(still not butterflies) again. Loki quickly diverted attention from himself and got Thor to talking again, his hands making wild gestures as he told the more adventurous stories about things that have gone down at Marvel since its conception. Most of them involved the blonde getting sucked into something by one Tony Stark, he could see that happening, Thor had a hint of naiveté about him.

Soon Thor had devoured everything on his plate, Loki was surprised he didn’t eat the plate itself, and Loki had eaten his fill of the pasta; Loki heard the chime of the elevator, and the waitress made another reappearance with a cart full of bite-sized treats and a pot-like contraption on it. She bent down to plug a cord into the side of the building, pushing the cart up beside the table before turning the contraption on.

Loki’s eyes widened as chocolate spewed forth, raining down into the bottom like a fountain. He took stock of what was on the tray beside it: strawberries, cantaloupe, marshmallows, marshmallow treats, and un-iced cake squares. He didn’t even wait until the woman left, he swiped up a strawberry and stuck it under the chocolate, moaning as he stuffed it in his mouth.

Thor laughed heartily and picked up a marshmallow treat before doing the same. This continued until most of the tray was gone - most of it being inhaled by Loki shamelessly - and both men sat back as they looked over the city with content expressions on their faces.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It wasn’t too late when the Dodge pulled back up in front of Loki’s home, Thor turning the car off and getting out to open Loki’s door again. Loki chuckled and shook his head as he climbed out. They walked up the path quietly, stopping just in front of Loki’s door.

“I believe I own Natasha some hint of gratitude.” Loki said, looking up at Thor.

Thor frowned. “Why’s that?”

“How do you think I got the number?” The edges of Loki’s lips quirked upward. “She said I wouldn’t regret contacting you and I find that I don’t.”

A stupid grin stole across Thor’s face. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

“Mh.”

Silence.

“Well?” Loki quirked a brow. “I’m sure this is the part where you kiss me and I go giggling inside like some teenage girl in a bad rom-com.”

Thor shook his head, his shoulders shaking in his mirth before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Loki’s lips. Thor forced himself to pull away, lest he get lost in everything that is Loki.

“Good night, Thor.”

“Good night, Loki.” Thor watched as Loki unlocked the front door and slip inside.

The smile never left his face as he backtracked his steps to his car. He started up the Dodge and just as he was about to pull out, he felt his pocket vibrate. He took his phone out and clicked on the incoming message.

_Same day and time next week._

Thor couldn’t believe his luck.


	14. Lunch "Date"?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Thor and Tony eat lunch with two special ladies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the wait you guys, I feel so bad! I'll try to regulate my updating after a weekend with the family and being flooded with work. If you spot anything let me know so I can fix it. Although she may not deserve it, the author would love you if you left a comment. It's far from necessary though. Enjoy!

Days later and Thor was still running off his high from his evening with Loki. To say he was on cloud nine was an understatement, he hadn’t felt quite this uplifted since Marvel became a serious competitor with the big dogs of the tech and manufacturing world. And all Loki had to do was grace him with his presence. He couldn’t wait until this Friday. It was only four days away. Did he mention he didn’t quite care for Mondays?

Thor barely spared a glance from his work when a certain engineer waltzed into his office like he owned it.

“I know that this should’ve came days ago, but the life of someone as brilliant as me is pretty hectic. Someone’s still in a good mood if that award winning smile is anything to go by. That means that someone had a good time. A really good time” Tony observed as he flopped down into the chair. “Didja take him to Bouley?”

Thor snorted, the act in no way affecting his smile. “No.”

Tony gave him a look. “No?”

“No.” Thor confirmed. “I went to Balder and he suggested someplace else.”

Tony looked affronted. “My friend there’s no better place to impress a date than Bouley. Well, maybe the 40/40-”

“I was not looking for glamour Stark, I just didn’t want to take Loki to a rat’s den.”

“Where did Mr. Romance and Wax Poetic send you?”

“Ayza’s.”

“He’s gotta sweet tooth, huh? I remember dragging Steve there, he doubled his time at the gym for about two weeks afterwards.”

“Is there any particular reason you came to interrupt or are you in one of your special moods today?”

“Ouch. You may have had a great date but obviously didn’t get any.”

Thor fixed a look at him from the corner of his eye, his fingers never ceasing their patterns across the keyboard.

“Fine. It’s rounding noon and I’m starved. Tony Stark never eats lunch alone so his mega best bud, Thor Odinson, shall accompany him to get some of the best burgers ever.”

“I’m busy-” A loud growl interrupted anything else he would have said. 

Tony gave him a smug look.

Sheepishly, he saved the file he and hibernated his computer before getting up. “Bareburger?”

Tony got up from his chair too. “Yep. I know how you are about having the food you inhale, not eat, _inhale_ at least be somewhat healthy.”

“Sif, Stark and I are departing for lunch. Inform anyone who calls that I will be back in an hour’s time unless it is an emergency.” Thor instructed as they passed by the assistant’s desk.

“Yes sir, Mr. Odinson.”

“She still calling you that?” Tony asked as the elevator doors opened.

“Yes. Despite my insistence otherwise. She is a great asset and I also admit that she frightens me to an extent - that said I’ll let her address me as Mr. Odinson.”

Tony let out a bark of laughter. “She’s as fierce as one of strippers down in the Bronx.”

Thor cringed and shuddered at the memory. Never again.

 

\-------------------------

 

The restaurant was still in limbo just before the lunch rush when they walked in. Tony strutting in behind the maître d' like the supposed important figure he was, Thor following them at a much more leisurely pace with an equally as relaxed posture.

He had passed several tables near the window when he heard a familiar voice squeal a squeaky “Hi!”

Thor whipped around to see if the greeting was tossed in his direction and lo and behold it was, an easy smile spreading across his face as he spotted the small girl and woman from the Cheesecake Factory a short while back a table down from where he was now standing.

“Hello to you too, Little One.”

His smile caused hers to grow even wider. “You’re here to eat lunch too?”

“Yes, I am rather starved.”

“Then don’t let her keep you, you should go with your friend. You must be on a time crunch.” The woman said.

“You could eat with us!” The little girl suggested, pointing at the seat next to her elevated chair. “Please?”

“Sigyn.” The woman chastised. “He came in with a friend and you know better than this.”

Thor’s expression fell nearly as hard as that of the small girl - Sigyn apparently - and she turned her attention down to her cubby meal.

A frown in no way suited the tiny ball of energy, he was an absolute sucker for children. His mother had commented more than once that he would make a great father - he didn’t wish to dampen her hopes by informing her that he preferred partners of his own sex. Well, there was no shame in adopting. Snapping out of his randomized thoughts, Thor looked down at their food. “You’ve just started eating?” he asked the woman.

She nodded. “It just arrived actually.”

“You don’t mind do you?”

She hesitated, weighing the decision in her mind before shaking her head. “I didn’t want to let her intrude on you.”

“Nonsense, Miss...”

“Draumar. Angrboda Draumar.”

“Thor Odinson.” He held out his hand and she slowly placed it in his, her face flushing as he placed a kiss on it. “Miss Angrboda, I shall retrieve my friend and we will dine with you and Sigyn for lunch today.”

The smile was back on Sigyn’s face when he turned to seek out the table Tony had procured and proceeded to walk over and ever so ‘gently’ tug him bodily out of the chair. He heard Sigyn’s giggles as Tony yelped, guiding him a few tables back - just narrowly remembering to grab the menus on the now abandoned table.

He sat next to Sigyn, his frame appearing even larger compared to the size of the table, and Tony sat next to Angrboda.

“Hello gorgeous. Tony Stark.” He shook Angrboda’s hand. “Apparently we’re eating with you today. Not that I mind because the view is wonderful.”

“Angrboda.” She blushed again, looking down at her food. “You can call me Angie if it would be easier for you, and it would appear so.”

Tony cocked his head to the side, mouthing _Milf_ \- Thor scowling at his vulgarity - before turning his attention to Sigyn. “And who’s this little gem right here?”

“Sigyn!” The girl smiled, though it wasn’t as brilliant as the one she turned on the blonde just seconds later - she was missing one of her front teeth now, Thor noticed. “You’re Thor’s friend.”

“Yes ma’am. His best one ever.” Tony smiled at the waitress that approached. “Sorry for the switcheroo, sweetheart.”

The waitress returned it. “It’s fine. I thought you had left.”

Tony waved at the other occupants of the table. “We were pulled into a double date at the last minute.” Thor and Angie chuckled at this. “Such is the way of the world nowadays. Anyway, I’ll have the Original with beef on multi-grain. As for the drink-” He shot a glance over at Sigyn. “I’ll have a cola.”

The waitress jotted his order down, looking over at Thor halfway through and doing a not so subtle double take as she scribbled through the rest. “A-and for you?”

Thor easily stuck with his usual choice. “I’ll have the Supreme with beef on multi-grain, the Brisket with bison on the brioche bun, and the Southern with elk on the wheat flour wrap. I’ll take two iced teas please.”

Angie and the waitress gave him a blank stare, the latter quickly writing it down. “Is that...all?” she asked cautiously.

“Yes ma’am.”

“I’ll be back with your drinks momentarily.”

“Y’know, you always defeat the purpose of all-natural food.” Tony propped his face on his hand.

“You’re going to eat all of that? And the sides that come with them?”

“Angie, you’re about to witness a slaughter job. A complete overhaul.”

 

\--------------

 

Sigyn gasped when several plates and dishes were placed in front of Thor. “That’s a lot of food!”

Thor chuckled. “Indeed it is.”

“Can I help?”

Thor glanced over at her food, she had completely devoured her French fries. He pushed over one of his side dishes of fries - she grinned and merrily dug in, not taking it easy at all on the gluten-free ketchup.

They chatted about random things, Thor and Tony - he was surprised to find - was enjoying the girls’ company. Tony was mystified that Sigyn was able to keep up with quite a few of the topics, giving some astoundingly good responses.

“So, how old is your daughter, Angie?” He just had to know.

Thor noticed that same conflicted look on her face, and Sigyn gave Tony an odd look.

“She’s four.” Angie answered quickly.

“Four _and a three-quarters_.” Sigyn objected. “I’ll be five soon.”

“Four? And you’re losing teeth already?” Thor asked.

“Mhmm. I’m a big girl.”

“And she’s brilliant for her age.”

“She’s a fast developer and she is quite the Einstein. She’s leagues ahead of all the other kids at the center.”

Sigyn beamed. “My Mommy teaches me a lot and Mrs. Munroe helps too.”

“And speaking of which. Her lunchtime is almost over so I should be getting her back.”

Tony gave them a puzzled look. “You don’t eat at daycare?”

“Mommy doesn’t like the food the give us there. Mommy says that they give us a ple-pleth-”

“-a plethora of unhealthy junk and the vegetables and fruits they do have are fraudulent, indigestible, morbid substitutes for the real thing.” Angie finished. “Though I do sneak in the fries here for her, the potatoes are organic so that counts for something right?” Angie dug inside her purse and pulled out her wallet.

Thor waved her off. “Don’t bother.”

Angie gave him a look. “You’ve paid for me once already. I should at least pay for this-”

“Nonsense.” Thor wiggled his brows at Sigyn. “I would never make a lady pay for a date.”

Angie shook her head, her shoulders shaking with her amusement as she put her wallet away and shrugging the strap of her purse on. Thor helped Sigyn hop down from her chair as Angie came around.

“It’s been great. It’s rare that Sigyn takes to people so easily.”

“It has been a pleasure.” Tony said. “She’s a total sweetheart.”

“Maybe we’ll see you two around again.”

“Two for two. So you just might.”

“Bye-bye!” Sigyn waved enthusiastically. “It was nice meeting you Mr. Tony! Bye Thor!”

Both men waved back as she was led out of the restaurant.

“I hope we do see them again. She makes me actually like children. I’d love to pick that kid’s brain for all that she knows. I don’t remember having grammar that good when I was her age.”

Thor took a bite out of his Supreme. “Perhaps she’s on her way to being more intelligent than you?”

“I don’t think you’re too far off.” Tony admitted. “Besides, we could use more super-geniuses in the world. She could work for Marvel when she gets older.”

Thor rolled his eyes. “Imagine how proud her mother would be, she lit up when she spoke of her intellect.”

“Yeah, about that...I think Angie’s on nanny duty. That ain’t Sigyn’s mother.”

Thor was confused. “Explain.”

“Um, I’m sure you noticed the looks on their faces when I asked. And the girl looks absolutely nothing like her. Note even in the slightest. Though she does look familiar.”

“I hesitate to ask.”

“Well, her nose and especially her eyes remind me of Lo-”

They both jumped at the sound of The Who’s _Won’t Get Fooled Again_.

Thor raised a brow at Tony.

“What? It’s a kick-ass song.” He pulled out his Stark Phone and accepted the call. “Brucie! How are ya? Okay, future reference don’t call you that. Eh? No. No. Are you kidding? No.” Tony pumped his fist. “Yes! We’re on the way.” Tony ended the call and grinned at Thor. “We got a lead on our tech tamper.”

Thor immediately threw an arm up to wave the waitress over, he could finish his burgers at a later time.


	15. You Know of Sigyn?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Update on the tamperer and an unfortunate (at least on Loki's part) meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, I hope the content will make up for the time it took. If you spot anything, please let me know. Comments make the author happy, but it isn't necessary. Enjoy!

The doors to the lab opened as Thor and Tony rushed inside, spotting Bruce hunched over a laptop they immediately took a place on either side of him.

“What have you found exactly Banner?” Thor asked.

“An I.P. address.”

“Fuck yeah!” Tony pumped his fist. “The bastard couldn’t resist the dummy files.”

Bruce nodded. “The location is being tracked as we speak.”

“Should I speak with Barton? He would be most helpful in this endeavor.”

“Yeah. I’ll have Stark text the location once this thing has locked on it.”

“Is there any other way I can be of assistance?” Thor inquired. “Once I finish the business model for the new tower in Beijing - and it shan’t take much longer - I am free until four.”

“Um, who’s the tech genius here? I got this.” Tony shooed him away. “After you’re finished you can go do something that big, muscular blondes do.”

Thor raised a brow. “And exactly what does that entail, Stark?”

“How should I know? I’m not big, muscular, or blonde. Go jog or something, you could use the time for yourself.”

Thor felt something akin to suspicion, it wasn’t like Tony to urge him to do anything that outside of the company that may lead to more work for himself. “Very well then. Do not forget to keep me updated.”

Tony waved his Stark Phone in response and nudged Bruce out of the chair as Thor exited the lab.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Loki hummed to himself as descended the stairs, going into the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of mineral water. He had been in his secret room for the last three hours working to stabilize the Tesseract - he had been spending several hours a day since Friday working on it and he had managed to expand the amount of locations. Now he could conjure up a small patch of animal-less rainforest, a kitchen, and a waterfall spilling into a medium sized pond.

It was baffling how a few hours of social interaction outside of the Valhalla rejuvenated his admittedly declining belief that the Tesseract could be tamed. He had Thor to thank for that.

“Hmm, so it must be true.”

Though he was startled, he schooled on a neutral expression before turning to face the father of his daughter. “And you would be referring to?”

James pushed himself up from the doorframe and moved to stand in front of Loki. “I’ve heard news that you went on a little date Friday.”

Loki was going to have a few things to say to Angie. “Although it is none of your business - yes, I chose to have dinner with a viable suitor.”

James reached up and rest his hand on the side of his neck, much like Thor had done a few days prior. “Loki...”

Loki immediately stepped away. “James.”

“You’re seeing other people.”

The nerve of this man! “As is my right. You have no claim and will never again have claim to my affections. You lost the privilege in the beds of those whores.”

“Loki-”

“Judging by your attire I assume that you are due back to wherever you work. If you’ll excuse me, I promised my daughter I would take her to the park again today. I trust that you know your way out?” Loki didn’t wait for a response, leaving the kitchen to bound back upstairs to retrieve Sigyn.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Duckies, Mommy! Duckies!”

Loki smiled fondly at the small girl as she stared in awe at the trail of ducklings obediently trailing their mother in the pond.

“I see them, Syn.”

“Can I have one?”

“They are wild creatures, love. They don’t belong in captivity no matter how comfortable it may be.”

“Can we get a kitty then?” Sigyn looked up at the one who bore her. 

“You already have a pet, darling.” Loki winced at the pout that she gave him.

“We can have another one. It’s just me, you, and Bragi when Miss Angie or Daddy isn’t around.”

It seemed that she was slowly picking up on the reality that he and James were never going to be close knit (or anything _near_ that) like they were before.

“We’ll see. I won’t make any promises.”

“Yay!” The bounce in her step increased ten-fold. She knew that she was going to get that kitten, it was just a matter of when - he spoils her rotten and he isn’t ashamed of it. She suddenly stopped, her eyes widening in both recognition and excitement. She pulled away from Loki before he could tighten his grip, stopping a few feet away to wave her arms eagerly.

“Thor!”

Loki froze.

“Thor!” Sigyn waved frantically. “Thor!”

Loki watched in horror as the familiar large figure pulled out one of his ear buds as he jogged along the path - _shirtless_ \- looking around with a frown.

Sigyn stopped in front of the path. “Thor!”

The blonde stopped in front of his daughter, grinning and kneeling down to her level. “Well hello there. When I said that I’d see you again I did not think it would be hours later.”

_What the hell was going on here?_ Loki found himself rooted to the spot where he was standing.

“I’m here with my mommy.”

“Oh, really? Where is she?” He heard the deep voice ask.

“Over here!” Sigyn reached out and grabbed Thor’s forearm - her hand tiny against the bulk of it - and started dragging him over to where Loki was standing.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. This was not how he envisioned telling Thor about his...deformity - that is if he had planned to tell him at all.

Thor looked up from Sigyn and met Loki’s gaze, the azure hue shining almost as bright as his smile. “Loki!” he called out.

Sigyn frowned. “You already know my mo-”

Loki surged forward and picked her up. “Don’t part from me like that Syn. I’ve informed you of this many times in the past.”

He reluctantly looked over to find the stunned expression on Thor’s face.

“You know of Sigyn?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“She, her mother, and I have passed on two occasions.”

Sigyn frowned. “That was Miss Angie-”

“She is my daughter.” There was no need to beat around the bush, he and Sigyn resembled each other too much for any doubt.

Thor only looked mildly surprised. “I knew her eyes seemed familiar, as well as other features.” He scratched the back of his neck. “So you and Angrboda-”

“Cover your ears, Syn.” Loki looked to make sure she did as told before responding. “I’m gay, Thor. You know this.”

Now the blonde looked outright confused. “Then what-”

“I would rather not get into that as of yet. All you should know is that I have a child.”

“But Loki, the Valhalla-”

“I do what I have to do to support myself and my daughter. Suddenly you find reason to judge?”

“I would never do that Loki and you know it.”

Loki kept his gaze level with Thor’s face - his eyes challenging. If he looked any lower he would be fighting a problem in public and in front of his daughter. Damn this man and his gorgeous masculinity. 

“Can I take my fingers out now, Mommy?”

Loki closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. He should have just spoken briefly and made a hasty retreat.

“Loki?”

The shock in his voice made it even worse.

“Mommy?” Sigyn looked at him expectantly.

“Friday.” Loki opened his eyes to fix a firm gaze on Thor. “I was hoping-”

Suddenly the world became a blur and Loki’s stomach churned. Depositing his daughter to the ground quickly, he sought out the nearest trash bin before emptying what little he had eaten that day into the container.

_What’s going on?_ Loki thought as he heaved. _Why was this happening?_ He hadn’t thrown up like this since-

_No. No, no, no, no._

“Mommy?” Sigyn was at his side now, as was Thor - he could hear the panic in her small voice.

“Loki?”

“I’m-” he panted harshly, “I’m fine,” he finished before he was hit with another wave and bent back over the bin.

Sigyn whimpered as he went through two more trials before collapsing to his knees. The world moved as he was hauled up into Thor’s arms. “No.”

“I’m taking you to see a doctor.”

“No.”

“Sigyn come.”

Loki pushed weakly at Thor’s chest as he began to walk, Sigyn running to keep up. Thor put Loki into the backseat of his Dodge and waited until Sigyn had climbed in before he closed the door, swiftly sliding into the driver’s seat.

 

\----------------

 

Loki had thrown up again in the hospital parking lot.

The automatic doors of the building slid open as they darted through the entrance, Thor looking down every few moments to make sure Sigyn had kept up - her little face was flushed red from the exertion but she looked fine otherwise.

“Excuse me,” Thor approached the desk. “We seem to have a bit of an emergen-”

Loki lurched forward in his arms, seeking the ground just moments before vomiting into a fake flower pot next to the desk.

“Oh dear!” The man at the desk quickly darted up and disappeared behind the double doors leading to the hospital interior, coming back out with two nurses armed with a wheelchair and bucket.

Loki was eased into it, the bucket placed in his hands as the two women darted off with him, leaving Thor and Sigyn standing in the waiting room.

He was quickly deposited upon a hospital bed, another nurse coming in to push a small paper cup in his hand. “Drink this hun, it’ll help with the nausea.”

He did as instructed, he would do anything right about now to get rid of it.

“I need you to tell me everything you’ve eaten in the last 48 hours-”

Loki finished off the odd drink and settled back onto the bed. “Salads at the most, I’ve been too busy for anything else. It wasn’t enough to cause this certainly.”

“We’ll just have to do a few tests-”

“Does Dr. Pym still have a branch here? I would prefer to see him.”

Doctor Henry Pym had been the one to take care of him when he’d been pregnant with Sigyn. Despite having no true background in handling such a peculiar case, he’d been highly dedicated to learning all he could and would be quick to both explain what he learned about what was happening to Loki and offer reassurance. He would need him now that - if, _if_ \- he was expecting again.

“Of course, I’ll see if he’s available.” The young nurse scurried off.

He had made the decision to has sex with Thor twice - _twice_ \- without a means of protection (he’d been the one to encourage that they forego it _both times_ ) and with the way his life went topsy-turvy with the appearances of both James and Laufey, he’d forgotten to take his pills. He’d only have himself to blame if his fears were confirmed.

“Loki, I can say that I’m quite surprised to see you here.” Dr. Pym said as he entered the room, closing the door behind him. He was well aware of how much Loki valued privacy.

“I hadn’t planned on it, Doctor.”

Pym chuckled, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Loki. “What can I do for you?”

Loki bit his lip. If he voiced it, it just made it even more real.

“Loki?”

“I...I may be...I think I-” 

He couldn’t. He just couldn’t say it. 

Though it would seem that he didn’t have to - Pym stood, “I’ll be right back with the test.”

Another child just couldn’t happen right now. Not when Laufey was already threatening Sigyn. Sure, should he be with child it wouldn’t be born until sometime the following year, but the impending stress of rushing to complete the Tesseract could prove fatal for the child.

Loki squeezed his eyes shut, hoping for the world around him to disappear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this wasn't rushed. Thanks for reading!


	16. To Tell or Not to Tell?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The results and how Loki goes about handling it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there has to be some errors in this, and if you spot them please let me know! Comments make the author feel special, but aren't necessary. Enjoy!

Loki laid reclined on the hospital bed, one arm propped on the other as he traced his chin with a thumb. He didn’t bother to watch Dr. Pym leave. He’d just confirmed Loki’s worst suspicions.

He was indeed with child.

Deep down he had known, yet he still felt something akin to surprise when the doctor delivered the news. 

Dr. Pym had been excited to say the least, speaking of how long’s it’s been since Sigyn and how his pregnancies contrasted so heavily with the average woman. Being able to detect it so early - “Just three weeks in!” Pym had exclaimed so merrily - was just one of those oddities that remained Loki’s and Loki’s alone.

“Mommy?”

Loki threw on a quick smile for his daughter as she cautiously stepped in.

“Are you okay?” she asked timidly.

“I’m quite alright, darling.” He waved her over.

He easily hauled her up onto the bed with him, looking up, his eyes met familiar and concerned blue.

“Are you well, Loki?” Thor hesitated a moment before crossing the threshold. He’d managed to procure a shirt from somewhere.

Hmm, what to tell him? How do you explain as a man to another man that you are pregnant with his child? It’s simple really...

“Quite. They believe it to be a stomach virus. I was told that with my state of good health it should clear up within a few days.” 

...you don’t.

Loki fought the urge to cringe at how smoothly the lie came out, combing his long fingers in his daughter’s hair to soothe her worries. She was going to be a big sister soon. It was common knowledge that time flies.

Thor looked relieved. “Good. I thought it was something much worse, I was quite alarmed.”

Oh you have no idea.

Loki climbed off the bed, pulling Sigyn down with him. “If you would, it would be most helpful if you pulled your car around to the entrance while I am at the front desk.”

“Of course.” Thor nodded and left, jogging down the hall.

Loki went at a much slower pace, giving the woman that had replaced the man at the front a curt nod. He handed over his insurance information and clutched the prescriptions for his prenatal care tightly, sliding them in his pocket once his brain caught back up with him. He couldn’t risk having the blonde see them. Sigyn kept giving him the odd look or two as they walked out of the sliding doors to where Thor was waiting in his Dodge.

The young girl was too perceptive. It was both something to be proud of and wary of for Loki, but fortunately she didn’t say anything or ask any questions.

He secured her in the back as well as he could before climbing into the passenger side. He was quiet during the drive, Sigyn and Thor trading favorite colors, food, and the like while he stared out the window. He suppose he should be thankful that they got along well, all things considered, but all it did was remind him of what he wouldn’t be able to hide forever. His pregnancy with Sigyn was the start of James’ suspicious behavior that eventually led him to discovering his infidelities.

Would Thor do the same? 

Thor didn’t seem anything like James, but he had already proved to be a somewhat terrible judge of character.

Loki blinked out of his stupor just as the car stopped in front of his house. He frowned.

“My car-”

“I’ll pick you up on the way to work tomorrow and drop you off to get it. I was worried about letting you drive after that bout of illness.”

Loki fought down a scathing retort, he would rather Sigyn not have to witness such. He simply chose to nod. Unbuckling his seat belt, he moved to get out of the car, stopping when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

“I will see you on Friday. Until then, take care of yourself, yeah?” Thor gave him a warm smile and his shoulder a strong squeeze before letting him climb out.

That stupid flutter was back in his stomach again - never would he call them butterflies.

Sigyn had already unfastened herself from the back and hopped out of the car, Loki closing it for her before shutting his.

With one last wave Thor pulled off, leaving Loki and Sigyn on the front lawn to watch his car until it disappeared around the corner. The front door opened and Angie came rushing out, her expression worried. Loki realized that this was something he rather not keep to himself, that this was something he needed advice on since the circumstances were so drastically different from the first time. But as Angie had recently proved, she couldn’t be trusted with such important secrets, Loki made a mental note to call Natasha later.

“Loki! Syn! You are an hour late from when you said you would be arriving! I was getting scared.”

“Mommy has an upset tummy and puked _everywhere_ , but said it’ll be fine.” Sigyn answered for him, bless the child’s sweet soul.

“They gave me a prescription for the nausea. I should be fine in a few days’ time.” Loki confirmed, easing past her with his daughter without looking at her. He hadn’t decided to forgive her for the transgression of slipping out details of his life that was _none_ of her business.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Hm,” Natasha sat back in the booth, giving Loki an inquisitive look. “I knew that glow wasn’t just from your little date on Friday.”

They were both seated at a booth at long-time favorite cafe of theirs, Loki having told Natasha everything that happened since the last time they spoke.

Loki gave her a baleful look, Natasha returning it with a quirk of her lips.

“You can’t hide this forever, Loki.” she sighed.

“I know this.”

“You have to tell him.”

“I do not.”

“How is that fair to him or this child?”

“It’s my problem and my problem alone!”

“It is not and you know it!” Natasha leaned forward, her eyes boring into Loki’s.

Loki didn’t flinch, no matter how much he wanted to. She held a power over him similar to that of his father, though her intentions were only to help, not harm him. “I’ve always done this on my own. Almost everyone who’s played a role in my life has been proven to be nothing but a farce - a snake. All after their own gain. It’s up to me to support not only Sigyn, but this child as-”

Loki froze.

“Oh dear, the Valhalla is just over what it takes for the two of us to live somewhat comfortably - with this new child it would drain that completely.”

“Which is why you need to tell Thor. You know he has the means to take care of all three of you, and you know he would in a heartbeat. Your father was an asshole, your brothers were assholes, and James was an asshole, Thor is so much more different than him. _Tell. Him._ ”

“What if he thinks me a freak? Everyone else did - with the only exception being you, Angie, and Dr. Pym, and he treated me as if I was this project or medical anomaly.”

“Clint recalled seeing him earlier today after your date on Friday. He said he looked as if all of his dreams had come true at once. You can’t look me in the eye and tell me he would think you a freak. Especially not where his child is concerned.”

Loki was quiet for a time, taking sips of his tea while lost in his thoughts.

“There are so many other problems that come with this, Tasha. James, he works for him! Who knows how he’ll react once he finds out just who the child belongs to. Not only that but this project, my father - my father is one of his biggest competitors! My project is what he plans to use to ruin Marvel and Thor! How could he see past that?!”

Natasha offers him a small smile. “You’re thinking of things with him in mind now. It’s progress. Trust me. You didn’t regret it before, do you think you will now? The issue of trust that you have I have tenfold, and yet here I sit encouraging you. Have I intentionally steered you wrong? When is the next time you’ll see him, do you know?”

“We’re meeting again on Friday.” Loki answered.

“That’s enough time to gather what you plan to say to him. And Loki,” she gave him one of her strongest glares, “don’t lie to him again. Not in this.”

Loki nodded.

“Something else is on your mind too. Spill it.”

“It’s Angie.”

“What about her?” Natasha shot him a curious look.

“She’s been acting... _strange_. She supposedly my closest ally yet she plays reporter to James. She’s been trying to get me to give him a chance; Tasha she told him of our date on Friday. What does she have to gain from all this?”

“Do you need me to look after Sigyn when you’re not around? I’ve never truly been comfortable with her being left in her care. This only amplifies that. I don’t work at the Valhalla anymore and if you need me to find some things out you know Clint and I will dig up whatever you need in a heartbeat.”

“She’s with her now. Are you up for heading there now?”

“Problems?” Natasha asked, concerned.

“No. Well not yet anyway.” Loki took one final sip from his cup before pulling out a few bills and putting them on the table. “I’m heading to Marvel.”

Natasha nodded. “It should still be open. I’ll support you regardless of what happens, Loki.”

Loki gave her a sad attempt at a smile, “I know. You always have. You are one of the rare ones.” Giving her shoulder a soft squeeze, he left her sitting at the table.

 

\------------

 

The looks he got as he moved through the building was a mixed batch of curiosity of both the platonic and romantic level. He inquired after Thor’s location and was pointed to any elevator, he cringed at how many floors he would have to go through just to get to the top floor. Groaning, he let his head fall back against the wood paneling of the wall. About halfway up the elevator paused, emitting a man that bore startling similar eyes and blonde hair.

“Hey.” The man smiled.

“Hello.” Loki reluctantly replied.

The man looked at the selections and relaxed back on the paneling. “You are going to the top floor as well? Heading to see my brother then? I’ve never seen you here, it seems as though they send a new face every time. Who do you work for?”

Loki was rather overwhelmed at the questions being constantly fired at him. Luckily, the man seemed to take pity.

“Too much?” he winced. “Why not start from the top? Balder Odinson.”

So this was the other Odinson. Was their entire family this familiar with complete strangers or did he and Thor just happen to be odd ones out? Loki believed it was the former.

“Loki.” he said simply, cautiously taking the hand offered to him.

The man’s - Balder’s - eyes widened. “So _you’re_ Loki? My brother has hardly stopped talking about you these last few days.”

If Loki looked uncomfortable, it’s because he was. Very much so. “Mm.”

“He invite you up here? He must be quite taken with you to do so, it’s one of those things that just doesn’t happen.”

Now Loki’s nerves were starting to build. Did he make a mistake coming here? Would Thor be angry for interrupting his important work? He should let Balder off and just ride back down.

The ding of the elevator alerted him that it was too late, Balder eagerly ushering him out of the compartment with him. He must be excited to see his brother chastise him for coming. Taking a deep breath and easing into a neutral position, he followed after the other Odinson.


	17. Shit Meet Fan (Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki breaks the news to Thor to unseen consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been blown away by the response that this fic has gotten, I'm literally squealing (on the inside of course, I don't want to freak anyone within hearing distance out) you guys! hope I did the breaking of the news and describing the mutation well. I know there has to be some mistakes in here so if you spot them let me know please. Comments = love, but aren't necessary for me to continue. Enjoy!

Loki kept in pace with Balder as he waved at a dark haired woman (he decided he didn’t like the look she was giving him and suppressed the urge to glare at her) at the desk just outside the lone door which he opened and waved Loki inside first. He took one last, not so calming breath before going inside.

Thor was at his desk, his face scrunched up in concentration as he scanned several dozen papers on the surface, his expression uncharacteristically serious. This only made Loki feel much worse about interrupting him, this man had the weight of an entire company on his shoulders and Loki was selfishly about to add more to that burden.

Any final thoughts of turning back was diminished when Balder closed the door behind them, alerting Thor of their presence.

“Good Balder you’re here.” Thor looked up, shock registering on his face immediately. “Loki?”

“Thor.” Loki offered a curt nod, cautious to betray anything to Thor’s brother.

“This is quite the surprise.” Thor quickly got up from his chair, coming to stand in front of Loki, cupping the side of his neck. “Is anything wrong? Are you well?”

Loki opened his mouth to say something, but his eyes quickly darted over to where Balder was standing, observing them with a fond eye and a small smile. Thor followed his gaze.

“Could you give us a moment, Brother?” Thor asked. Bless the oaf for being more perceptive than he looks.

“Of course. Should we just do this tomorrow instead?”

This could be Loki’s chance to get out of this, but he roped the thought in swiftly - he was no coward.

A quick flick of the eyes back to Loki and Thor nodded. “As soon as I come in.”

Balder gave his brother a salute and smiled at Loki. “It was nice meeting you, Loki.”

Loki acquiesced with a nod before they moved out of the way for the other Odinson to leave. Once they were alone Loki felt a large hand on the small of his back, guiding him over to a door on the other side of the room. Thor opened it for him, urging him inside.

Loki’s jaw dropped at what appeared to be a small-scale loft - there was a small living room area directly ahead of him, just ahead of that was a small set of stairs leading up to two doors about three feet apart, a kitchenette just northwest of that with a counter and a few stools, and a sitting area looking out of the floor to ceiling windows was to the right.

Thor led him over to a loveseat, sitting down next to him. Loki was startled when Thor brushed an errant strand of his hair back, placing a small peck on his temple. It gave him the unforeseen courage to say what he was about to say, what he need to say.

“Thor-” Loki found it hard, but he looked the blonde in the eye.

He had his undivided attention.

There was no better way to put it.

“I’m pregnant.”

A heavy silence settled between them, several emotions battling for dominance in Thor’s eyes - confusion, disbelief, and shock, the disbelief swiftly swallowing the rest.

“What?” he asked dumbly.

“I’m with child. Three weeks.”

The look didn’t change. “ _How_?”

“I think you know how you buffoon.”

Thor shook his head. “No, that is not-”

“I know what you meant, Thor.” Loki drew in a deep breath. “I’ve learned years ago through Dr. Pym that a rare mutation in the reproduction system runs through my family. It is recessive, and it pops up every two or three generations. Those like me are born with both male and female reproductive organs, and while I’m sterile as far as getting a woman pregnant, I myself can conceive a child.”

This information appeared to overwhelm Thor, but his voice was calm. “So when Sigyn called you ‘Mommy’...”

“Yes. I gave birth to her.” Loki pulled out his wallet, shuffling through one of the pouches to pull out a small picture.

Thor took it, quietly observing it. It was a photo of a younger looking Loki in a hospital bed holding a small bundle in his arms, his face flushed red from the previous exertion of labor and he looked exhausted beyond all belief, but a small, genuine smile graced his lips. He passed the photo back to him.

“It had to have been that night where we, err - I, was too eager to bother with a contraceptive. Little did I know I had a sound reason to berate myself for making such a callous error.”

Something didn’t quite sit right with Thor here, but he couldn’t quite pin it down.

“So what do we do now?”

Loki shrugged. “As far as the two of us, I don’t know. Sigyn’s father was long gone before her birth even if we lived under the same roof. I’ve raised her alone and that’s what I’m used to.”

“And you think I would leave you alone to raise mine?”

Loki gave him a rueful smile. “I can clearly see the skepticism in your eyes, Thor. How can I believe otherwise when there’s a hint of doubt in you?”

“When did you find out?”

“Today.”

“Today? But-” Thor frowned. “You lied to me. About the stomach virus.” The final thicket of cobwebs cleared from his eyes. “That’s why you were vomiting.”

“Correct.”

“Why would you lie about that?” Thor through his arms up, his voice booming in the small space. “Why lie to me about my own child, Loki? How can you expect me to help when you try to hide something as significant as this?”

 

Loki refused to answer.

Thor lowered his voice. “I can’t - I won’t leave you in this alone. Not when this is my child. Not while there’s something I can do about it.”

Valiant words, but Thor had no idea of the consequences that would stem from this.

“Now I ask you again, what is to come of us?”

Loki studied Thor’s face for quite some time. “As far as I know, I was promised a date on Friday.”

Thor beamed.

Whether or not the consequences proved dire, Loki was always one for pushing against the odds.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Loki was irritated, beyond irritated really. James had been over to the house from the time he got off until the time Sigyn was put to bed for the last three days.

He knew what the other man was doing - he was staking out under the guise of visiting their daughter. 

“Syn showed me some of the work she’s been doing at the center.”

Speak of the devil.

“She’s as intelligent as I hoped she would be.” James approached the counter where Loki was seated, systematically working his way through a late-night snack of freshly made fruit salad. “Though it should have been expected. She is the product of two great minds.”

“She is the product of _one_ great mind. Seeing as the other was not present to help educate her on what she needs to know before she starts her official schooling.”

“Fine.” James sighed. “How are you today, Loki?”

“That is no concern of yours.” Both men snapped their heads over to the entrance to the kitchen. It was Natasha.

“Tasha. It’s a surprise to see you.” James commented.

“It’s Natasha. And seeing as you’ve been here every day it shouldn’t be a surprise to you.”

“I have noticed your increasing presence. I admit to being curious as to why.”

“That too is none of your business. And I’ve also noticed your increasing presence as well.” Natasha countered, coming in to stand next to Loki. “It’s...surprising.”

“I’m working around my schedule to see my daughter more. Is that such a crime Natasha?”

“Of course not.” Natasha fixed him with a look. “When the right intentions that is. It’s fascinating that you’ve increased both the frequency and length of your visits since you heard about Loki’s little outing last Friday.”

It was great to have Natasha here. All he had to do was eat his fill (which to his secret shame was gradually increasing even this early on) and let one of the excruciatingly few people he trusted take care of the situation for him. He wondered if Thor would ever have a place such as Natasha in his life.

James exhaled loudly before offering Loki a smile. “Schedule permitting, I shall see you tomorrow.”

“I’m sure Sigyn will be looking forward to it.” Natasha called after him as he left.

The closing of the front door was his only response.

“Have I told you lately of how much I adore you?” Loki said between bites.

“Yes, but it wouldn’t hurt to hear it again.” Natasha winked. “I’ll be back in time for your date tomorrow, okay? Got a few things to take care of.”

Loki wrapped her in a one-armed hug before letting her go, his full attention back on his salad.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Balder sighed, dropping both his glasses and his papers down before studying his younger brother. Thor had been distracted since he called him down to InfoTech. “Okay, spill it.”

Thor snapped his eyes up and gave his brother a confused look. “What?”

“You’ve been out of sorts since Monday. It’s not like you to be so unfocused.”

“I just have a few things on my mind. What with the new tower in Beijing-”

Balder waved him off. “Thor, you’re my brother. If it was work related it would have been solved by now since you hate dragging out problems longer than necessary.”

Thor sighed and leaned forward. “If I tell you, will you give your word that it stays between us?”

“Of course.” Balder gave a single nod. “Your secrets are as safe with me as mine are with you.”

“I...” Thor paused, taking a deep inhale before proceeding. “I’m going to be a father.”

Balder looked as stunned as he had probably looked when Loki first broke the news. “What?”

“I’m going to be a father.” Thor repeated.

“H-how? Who? Who is she? I thought you were with Loki?”

“Balder-”

“Did he come up here Monday evening to break up with you?”

“Balder.”

“Do I know her? If it’s Amora I swear-”

“Balder!”

“What?”

“Loki and I are still very much together. I’m going to see him at the same time as last Friday.”

“Then who-”

“We’re having a child together.”

 

\----------------------

 

James flipped through several pages of the latest updates done on Marvel’s information system. He’d only been working here for a short time, and he was still determined to make his mark in the company. He looked at the empty secretary desk - Mr. Odinson should really speed up the hiring process of that new administrative assistant, but he figured that knocking would be just as good to alerting him of his arrival.

He had just reached up to knock when he heard voices. It wasn’t kind to eavesdrop, but he couldn’t help himself, he was only human.

_“H-how? Who? Who is she? I thought you were with Loki?”_

Wait...what?

_“Loki and I are still very much together. I’m going to see him at the same time as last Friday.”_

James could feel anger bubbling in his chest. This guy was with _his_ Loki?

_“We’re having a child together.”_

James could’ve sworn his heart stopped before his blood began to boil anew. He dropped the files on the ground and opened the door, sending a quick thanks above that the hinges were well-oiled.

 

\----------------------

 

“Did you adopt? Did you use a surrogate?”

“I will not go into further detail without his permission.”

Balder fell back in his seat and exhaled. “My baby brother is going to be a father before me. I cannot say I saw this coming.”

Thor shook his head, his brother had no idea. “I cannot say I did either. I hope that this will bring Loki and me closer.”

Balder gave him a gentle smile. “You must really like him.”

Thor returned it before saying, “I believe it to be so much more than that now, Brother.”

Balder chuckled and shook his head. He glanced behind Thor and froze.

“James?” he asked, confused. “I thought I gave word that we were not to be disturbed.

Thor turned around and caught sight of a livid James - his face flushed red and his eyes dilated with rage. He stood, taking a few steps in the tech’s direction. “What did you hear?”

“Enough.” James growled. “You son of a bitch!”

“Hold on now,” Balder glared. “Just who do you think you’re talking- Thor!” He had just barely stepped forward before James lunged, taking Thor by surprise and tackling him to the ground.


	18. Shit Meet Fan (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After effects of James' outburst and the reactions of the respective parties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, the responses are blowing me away! If you spot anything amiss let me know please! Comments = happy author but it isn't necessary for me to continue. Enjoy!

“You can stay within the lines. Can’t say I’m surprised but I am impressed.”

Loki, Natasha, and Sigyn were all in the kitchen - Loki was at the counter preparing lunch for four (Angie had mentioned coming around earlier and to avoid arousing any suspicion in her he gave her the affirmative to come) and the other two were at the table with coloring books and pages and crayons scattered about the surface.

“Mommy taught me. He said it looks pretty that way.”

“ _Prettier_ , I said.” Loki corrected. “Everything you color is pretty, beautiful even.”

Sigyn smiled, a small blush creeping up her cheeks. “Thank you, Mommy.”

“You’re welcome sweetheart.”

“Do you have any more green?” Natasha asked, looking through Sigyn’s crayon box.

“Umm...” Sigyn looked the table over and frowned. “I don’t see any. I have another box in my room. I’ll go get it.”

Natasha moved to stand. “I can get it-”

The small girl waved her off, sliding off her chair. “Don’t worry, I got it.” She darted out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

“So, am I gonna be the godmother of baby number two as well?” Natasha asked.

Loki looked up from the pasta shells he was stuffing and gave her an amused look. “Is one not enough?”

“Nope.”

Loki chuckled. “Do you even have to ask? Of course you are.”

“Can you just imagine what he or she is going to look like?”

Loki bit his lip. He could just imagine a small boy with golden hair and green eyes, or a girl with dark hair and blue eyes like Sigyn with the blue shining in Thor’s likeness. A smile unknowingly crept on his face.

“He or she is going to be beautiful.”

“As if there was any doubt.” Natasha said. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do concerning the Valhalla?”

“I’ve been calling in sick for the last two days, but-” Loki closed his mouth, the arrival of Sigyn and a new box of crayons and markers cutting his response short.

The redhead gave him a curt nod that let him know that they would discuss it at a later date.

“Here you go.” Sigyn passed the box to her. “I can tell you that Plankton doesn’t need to be _that_ green though.”

Loki sputtered, his shoulders shaking in his mirth. Natasha just raised an eyebrow.

“Cheeky,” was all she said.

A loud buzz made the two brunettes jump, Natasha reaching in her pocket to pull out her phone. She looked at the number and hummed before leaving the kitchen to answer it. The kitchen was silent save for Loki’s shuffling about and Sigyn rotating her coloring page to get better angles. Seconds later Natasha scurried back in.

“Hospital. Let’s go.”

Loki paused. “What-”

“It’s Thor.” This caught Sigyn’s attention, her eyes turning worried.

“What?!”

“Clint said it’ll be explained once we get there. All he said is that we’ll be let through when we give the front desk our names. First only. Let’s go.”

Loki abandoned his prep board and hurried over, snatching Sigyn up before following Natasha, who already had her keys and was halfway out the door.

 

\------------

 

Though they cut through several shortcuts and ran quite a few red lights, it felt like an eternity before they pulled into the parking lot of a posh looking hospital. It was a lot more upscale than the one Loki had been to, the kind that only those with deep enough pockets could seek treatment.

They burst through the sliding doors, those in the waiting room giving them a distasteful look as the rushed up to the front desk.

“Natasha and Loki. We’re here via request of the Odinsons.”

“Yes, Amy will show you where they are.”

A young girl waved them over and after travelling down two hallways they spotted Clint leaning against the wall and Tony pacing the floor ranting.

“...he shouldn’t even be here! Down the hall no less! He deserves everything he got! We don’t even know why he attacked him!”

Loki brushed past him into the room where Thor was currently being stitched up by a doctor. On his left side was a slightly shallow cut starting just under his armpit and stopped halfway down and he had a rather nasty gash on his forehead that a nurse was currently cleaning. He was darted here and there with bruises, and he had cotton collecting blood in his left nostril.

He put Sigyn down, going over to the sink to wash his hands before taking the nurse’s place, and under her careful instructions and small smile began to pick up where she left off as she exited the room.

“What happened?”

Balder snorted from where he was seated, his good cheer replaced by anger. “He was attacked. Isn’t it obvious?”

“Balder,” Thor said in warning. “He is correct. An employee found something I did or said distasteful enough to strike at me.”

“Strike at you?” Loki looked at him incredulously. “This is certainly more than a strike. You’re covered in bruises, you have two injuries that require stitches, you’re _bleeding_ -”

Thor reached up and cupped the side of his neck and Loki leaned into it - momentarily forgetting the others in the room in his worry and burgeoning panic - prompting Thor to pull him down where their foreheads touched, both mindful of the gash.

“I will be fine. He is much worse off than I.” Thor replied, giving him a quick peck on the lips in reassurance. 

A tiny squeak turned them away from each other and to the small girl who was staring at them with wide eyes. Loki cursed himself mentally for getting too caught up to notice that they weren’t alone.

“Mommy...” Sigyn looked from Thor to her mother and back again.

Loki cleared his throat and went back to cleaning the gash. “So who was it?”

“No one you need to concern yourself with. He will be dealt with accordingly.”

“That fucktard!” Tony barged back into the room, throwing his hands up. “How dare he?! We should cut his balls off and feed them to him.”

Loki glared daggers at the shorter man.

“Tony!” Balder shot up and covered a wide-eyed Sigyn’s ears though the damage had been done. “We have a child in here!”

“Fine. I’ll try to keep it PG.”

Balder uncovered the girl’s ears and stood.

“Did James mention why he did it?” Tony asked.

Loki froze. “James?”

“Barnes. You know him?”

“Daddy?” Sigyn asked, frowning.

The whole room went silent.

“Leave.” Balder told the doctor, who had just finished up Thor’s side.

“But-”

“Get out.” Balder pointed to the door. “Tony go with him.”

“But-”

“Out!” Sigyn winced.

Both men rushed through the door, Natasha sliding in quickly before closing the door, leaning up against the wall.

“Don’t bother asking me to leave.”

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No sweetheart, you didn’t.” Loki sighed before tossing the soiled pad and settling on the bed beside Thor. “Come here.”

Sigyn ran over, Loki pulling her up into his lap.

“Care to explain any of this?” Balder demanded.

“Balder.” Thor gave his brother a tired glance.

The older Odinson flopped back down in his chair.

“Loki?” It felt like those blue eyes were staring into his very being.

He cleared his throat. “James Barnes, you say?” The brothers nodded. “As you could tell from my daughter, he is her father.”

“So you got my brother caught up into some love triangle because you decided to step out-”

“Let me stop you right there.” Natasha glared.

“I had no intentions for anything like this to happen to Thor. And for someone to ‘step out’ on someone, they had to have been together in the first place, so if you would be so kind as to let me finish.”

Balder ground his teeth but kept quiet.

“James and I met when I was just out of university. We were at some social event and he insisted on taking me to dinner that very night. I said no. I turned him down the second and third time as well. He started sending me all kinds of lavish gifts and flowers, I usually ended up sending them all back. Soon though, my father caught wind of his intent to court me and insisted that I give him a chance. He said that we had been educated with the best by the best, we’ve worked with the best, and that we should be with the best.

“So eventually I agreed.” Loki’s small smile was bitter. “It went quite well. He was charming, very intelligent, and he was easy on the eyes. It was a great date.” Loki looked over at Thor and the smile turned genuine. “I’ve had much better though.”

Thor beamed, though it turned into a wince when it pulled at his gash.

“We started seeing each other regularly and two years into the relationship we were living together and were engaged - we married on the date of the social event. I was too young, I knew it then, but outside forces took the choice from me. Then at the age of twenty I found out I was...” Loki paused, looking uncomfortably over at Balder, who sighed.

“I know.” Balder revealed, his mood had mellowed some, but he was still miffed. “Continue.”

Loki gave Thor a sharp look, the latter scratching the back of his head sheepishly. They had a lot to discuss later on.

“That’s when things started to go awry-”

Natasha stepped up and handed him a pair of small earplugs that she filched from a raid of the room’s drawers. He put them in Sigyn’s ears, the small girl’s pout making all of the adults chuckle.

“As I said that’s where things started to go downhill. He started spending more and more time away from home while I went through this new and daunting experience alone. All of these changes were happening to my body and the way that people treated me...” Loki shuddered, he ended up losing his job because those around him thought him a freak. “That’s when the whispers started. I had already come to the conclusion myself, but I stupidly ignored all the signs and put it in the back of my mind. I should have ended things there. After Syn was born, things changed again, this time for the better. He was at home more and he took over everything while I was recovering and even afterwards. Things seemed perfect. The rumors started back up when she was one.

“I went to see my mother one weekend. She had been dying to see her again and because of my relationship with my father I didn’t see her as often as I could or should. He was still on a supposed business trip and wouldn’t be back until after I left. All hell broke loose between my father and me and despite my mother’s pleas I left early. I returned late Saturday to find him on the couch with not one, but two women - with my daughter on my hip no less. Needless to say that I filed for divorce and left him within hours of walking in on that.

“I stayed with Natasha for a while until the divorce was settled. The last time James saw her up until recently was maybe two or three years ago. He’s been trying to win my favor once again but there’s no way we are ever going to be what we once were. It was not it his place to act as such when it’s clear that I’ve moved on.”

“Know that you will not go through this pregnancy alone.”

Loki nodded and got up, sitting Sigyn next to Thor.

“Where are you going?” asked Natasha.

“To see James.”

“Loki...” Thor sighed.

“Down the hall, right?” Loki asked Natasha, opening the door.

“Yes. Would you like me to go with you?”

“Yes. Come. I trust Sigyn will be fine with the two of you?”

“You know she will.” Thor replied. “If he gives you any trouble...”

“That’s why Natasha’s accompanying me. She’s scarier than you.” Loki smirked. “We’ll be back momentarily. Feel free to take the earplugs out and try to keep your associate’s language to a minimum, if my daughter repeats any profanity I will not hesitate to harm him.”

“Let’s go. We have loose ends to tie.” Natasha pushed him out into the hall and in the direction of James’ room.


	19. Loki's Had It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sigyn tells Thor a secret and Loki finally lets James know what's on his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any delay, I've been terribly busy and will continue to be so during the next week or so. I hope the content makes up for the shortened length (not by too much) of this one. If you spot anything wrong let me know please! Comments make the author happy but aren't necessary. Enjoy!

As soon as Loki and Natasha left Thor fixed his brother with an uncharacteristically baleful glare. “What was that, Brother?”

“I was just trying to make sure he checked out!” Balder threw his hands up in the air. “He’s trouble, Thor. Big trouble if James was willing to go to such lengths when he heard us talking about you two being together. This needs to end sooner rather than later. It is bad news, Brother.”

Thor shook his head. “I’m not abandoning him or my child, Balder.”

Balder belted out a sarcastic laugh. “Don’t even get me started on that. Loki’s pregnant, Thor? Really? I felt sorry for him until he mentioned that, I still do, but it’s overrode by sheer disbelief.”

Thor would have continued to grind his teeth if it didn’t pull at his gash, he should really get the good doctor back in to patch it up. He thought back to the picture Loki had shown him. It could help to dispel his brother’s doubt but he couldn’t ask that of Loki, he’d already shared a plethora of private information that had to have been tough for him to give in front of Balder, let alone Thor himself. “I believe him.”

“Of course you do. Love is blind, they say. Now me? I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“And when you get your proof?” he questioned.

Balder scoffed. “We’ll cross that bridge if we get there.”

“ _When_ we get there.” Thor corrected.

“Can I take these out now?” Sigyn asked, pulling the brothers’ attention from one another to her.

The smile that graced Thor’s lips was in no way forced, the small girl was wise beyond her years and good natured, it was difficult not to like her. He easily plucked the earplugs out.

“Thank goodness.” Sigyn pressed her small knuckles to her ears to wring them out. “That’s better. Where did Mommy go?”

“Down the hall. He’ll be back shortly.”

“He’s going to see my father, isn’t he?”

“How do you know that?”

“That yelling man said that a ‘he’ was down the hall and you said down the hall.” She pointed to the door that Tony was on the other side of. Balder, whose anger had dipped substantially since the young girl started speaking, was sitting forward just as curious as Thor. Good, she had a calming effect which did wonders for the rage that was still swirling inside of him since James first tackled him to the ground. “He said his name and Mommy didn’t look happy when he left, he’s never happy when he has to see him.”

Thor nodded.

“I’m not too happy with him either. You’re my new friend and he hurt you. Don’t worry though, you’re still pretty.”

Thor ignored the guffaws coming from his brother in favor of the feeling of his heart soaring. If Sigyn thought favorably of him, thought them friends, then it would make what he was going to ask Loki a lot easier. “I’m glad you think so, Sigyn. I consider you to be my friend as well. And it is just a few scratches, I will be fine.”

Sigyn gave him a dubious look before rolling her eyes, it was so Loki. “Whatever you say.”

Thor chuckled. “I assure you.”

“You like my mommy don’t you?” Sigyn grinned and mimed a kissing face.

Thor couldn't believe that a four year old was able to make him blush. “Very much so. Is that all right with you?”

Sigyn nodded eagerly. “Is it okay for me to tell you secret?”

Thor smiled. “Of course.”

She motioned for him to come down and Thor obliged her. She climbed up to her knees and cupped her hands around Thor’s ear and leaned forward. “My mommy really, really likes you. He always smiles whenever he and Miss Nattie talk about you.”

Thor gave her a stunned look when she pulled away with an indulgent smile. Thor shook his head in disbelief at his luck and beamed right back at her.

There was a hesitant knock on the door before the doctor stuck his head back in. “We should really get that sewn up. The longer you leave it the more at risk you are for possible infection.”

“Yes, please.” Thor waved him in. “You do know best.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

There was a flurry of nurses coming in and out of the room Clint had pointed wordlessly to, Loki and Natasha easily evading them as they came and went, carrying bloodied cloths and instruments.

“Should we come back later?” asked Loki.

“It’s now or never. It’s best if we don’t let it fester.” Natasha replied. 

Loki nodded and they slipped into the barely controlled chaos. Unwinding chaos rather, it looked like they were cleaning up and doing final checkups. For it being such an expensive hospital, it made up for it in speed and precision.

“Excuse me sir, ma’am, but we have to ask you to leave.”

Loki opened his mouth to say something, but just then one of the nurses shifted to the side - putting him in James’ periphery, or what was left of it anyway.

“Loki...” he rasped.

Even Natasha winced when the nurse stepped completely away.

The first, glaringly obvious injury was the one to his chest, or more specifically his sternum, if the large back of ice lying on it was anything to go by. Next came both his left arm and his right leg, which were both in casts and there was lighter bandaging on his right wrist, a sprain most likely. Bruises mottled his face where one eye was swollen shut and the other was halfway there and down his torso. His bottom lip was split and his nose was bandaged.

When Thor said that he looked much worse...

Loki shook his head. James had done this to himself and was about to get a verbal scolding for his actions to go along with the physical one.

“If I’m welcome, I’d like to speak to him. It will take but a moment.” He assured the nurse that looked like she still wanted the two of them out. Not before he said his piece though.

“You have five minutes.” The doctor waved the nurses out and closed the door behind her.

“It won’t even take that long.”

“Loki-”

“What the hell were you thinking, James?”

“I-”

Loki threw up a hand. “Don’t make excuses, because you weren’t thinking! You had no right to do what you did today and you paid the proper price for such selfish and uncouth actions.” He stalked forward. 

“He said that you were together, that you were with child. Loki-”

“I have told you already that we were never going to be together again, and this more than proves why. You had your chance and you chose to use it unwisely.” Loki placed his hands on the bed and leaned down to stare into James’ eye. “What do I have to do to get that message to you, hm? Do I have to write it down for you to read? Have someone else other than me tell you? Bring Thor in here and kiss him in front of you? What will it take for the fog to finally clear out? What will it take for you to finally get it, hm?”

James was silent.

“I don’t want you near me, my house, or my daughter. Since I can’t remedy the first and third so easily, I can work around the second. You will notify me when you wished to see Sigyn-”

“Make that me.” Natasha cut in. 

“Excellent, I won’t have to speak to you. You will notify Natasha in advance and she in turn will contact me and I will determine a date, time, and location for you to see her. On the day of, she will be accompanied by either Natasha, myself, or preferably both of us. I no longer trust you alone with her. Should you be unwilling to accept these terms, I will seek to have an official solidify them by law and we shall see each other in a courtroom setting once more.” Loki eased back up, casting one more disgusted glance at him before striding for the door. Opening it, he waved Natasha out before facing James one final time. “And James? This recent transgression can only work in my favor. I highly suggest you take me up on my offer.”

“You did great.” Natasha told him as they walked back to Thor’s room.

“Years of frustration compounded into a few minutes is all.”

“I meant what I said though. I’ll get his number from Angie since she seems to have acquired it some time ago.”

“And I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am for you. You know I am not one to speak such words but I am.” Loki paused, palming his forehead. “Angie! I told Angie to stop by around noon and it’s-” He caught sight of the time on a clock stationed on the wall. “Almost one. And I left my phone at home in our haste.”

Natasha actually laughed at that. She never liked the brunette woman anyway, she put up with her only for Loki’s sake.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Angie sighed as she paced the length of the front porch, her cellphone pressed to her ear. She sighed again when she heard his voicemail for the third time.

Loki’s car was still in the driveway, and he’s never gone without his car, especially when he was with Sigyn. She groaned and went to ring the doorbell and knock on the door again.


	20. James' Woes, Sigyn Knows, and Thor's Foes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James' reflects on his attack, Sigyn is too smart for her age, and the tamperer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay the tamperer is revealed and you have your fight scene! I combed through this on Word only so there has to be mistakes somewhere but I don't have time to check them at the moment so if you see anything while reading please let me know! Comments = love but aren't necessary for me to continue. Enjoy!

James stewed as Loki’s words played in his mind over and over again. This hadn’t gone at all like he wanted. He hadn’t meant to snap but just the thought of that big, blonde oaf _touching_ Loki and so much more...

 

\-----------------

 

_“Enough.” James growled. “You son of a bitch!”_

_“Hold on now,” Balder glared. “Just who do you think you’re talking-?”_

_James ignored him and lunged, taking Thor by surprise, the two chairs in front of the desk crushing under their combined weight as he tackled him to the ground._

_“Thor!” Balder called out as James started wailing on every available surface he could land._

_Initial surprise quickly fading, Thor blocked the next hit and threw himself forward, his forehead nailing James right in the nose. James grunted and shook his head, dazed as Thor swiftly flipped them over, grabbing James by the collar and aiming steadily at his face._

_Balder had reached them by then, trying to pry them apart. He wasn’t small and was definitely no weakling, but his brother had him beat in both size and strength, easily shoving him back hard enough for Balder to stumble a few feet away and fall flat on his ass._

_One of James’ hands shot out, grabbing a broken chair leg and swinging. He caught Thor on the shoulder blade and the blonde grunted, James swung again and Thor cried out as the ragged edge nicked him just below his hairline, opening up an ugly wound. James quickly rolled from under the blonde, kicking him in the side and bowling him over before standing - he swung again, catching Thor in the stomach. Thor through an arm up to protect himself, leaving his side open and James took another swing, Thor’s button down tearing as the broken end of the leg tore through it and connected with flesh._

_James felt the movement behind him before Balder approached, promptly turning and catching him right between the legs with a strong knee and whirling him into the wall next to the door._

_He heard an angered shout before Thor was upon him - fully enraged, a hand wrapped tightly in his hair while the other hand twisted in his shirt, propelling him into the hard, oak wood desk. His thighs slammed into hard into the wood and a massive weight crashed hard into his right side, his body jerking roughly forward and he felt a searing pain go up his right leg as the desk collapsed under their added mass._

_Despite the pain shooting through his groin, Balder reached a shaky hand into his front pocket and pulled out his cellphone, punching in the emergency number for security. He gritted his teeth when he heard a voice on the other line, the commotion going on several feet away telling the head of security what Balder could not at the moment._

_Thor wasted no time getting a hold of his wrist, twisting viscously, the pain flaring as his hand spasmed around the chair leg before it cluttered to the ground. He tried to concentrate through the burn, his left elbow coming up to connect solidly with Thor’s nose. Blood dripping from the gash on his forehead, the wound on his side, and now from his nose, Thor roared and came down hard on it, the same agony that James was feeling in his thigh was now in his left arm as well._

_Thor had flipped him over on his back just as a couple of men crashed through the entryway, they weren’t paid handsomely for nothing, and they surged forward to break the fight up. Still in the midst of his rage, Thor flung the first two back easily before shoving forward to nick James in the eye; he shoved off the next one as well, coming down to clip him in the other eye. He lifted his arm and brought it down hard, landing a strong blow to the center of James’ chest before all the guards swarmed him at once, finally managing to pull Thor away from the badly beaten lump lying in the remains of Balder’s desk._

 

\-------------------

 

An ambulance had been called up and he must have lost consciousness on the way to the hospital, waking up just in time for Loki and the red headed menace to come in. The doctor had put him to sleep almost immediately after they left so he could start the beginnings of his healing, giving him no time to really think on all the emerald-eyed man had spat at him.

Now, hours later, it was at the forefront of his thoughts.

It hurt that he couldn’t see his daughter regularly anymore - he had no doubt that Loki would carry out his threat to take him to court - but it hurt so much worse that he had finally lost Loki through his stupidity. No... Loki was just fighting needlessly against him, there were feelings for him deep down and James wouldn’t stop at this to reveal them. He just had to figure out a way to dig himself out of both this hole and the one created through his dalliances.

He started when he heard a deep, low chuckle. He peered over at the door and fought down the urge to groan in irritation.

“Laufey.” he rasped.

“James.” Laufey strode forth into the room. “You look...different from the last time I saw you.”

Sure the man had been the deciding factor in Loki finally giving him a chance, but there was definitely no love lost between them. “What the fuck do you want Laufey?”

“Prosperity. What do you want?”

“Nothing from you. Leave.”

“You would turn away the only man that could get him back to you?” Laufey smirked when James gave him his undivided attention.

“Speak, then get out.”

Laufey backtracked and closed the door before claiming the chair next to the hospital bed.

“Listen and listen well, Barnes.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Loki didn’t know whether he wanted to laugh, reprimand the two women, or steer clear of the silent battlefield that could turn physical at any moment for his safety and that of his child. He trusted that Sigyn knew how to get out of the way should the glares turn into blows.

Natasha and Angrboda had been looked in staring contest ever since they’d gotten back to the hospital. They eyed each other while they were seated at the table coloring with Sigyn as Loki managed to scavenge the lunch he had been preparing, all during said lunch, and they were still at it even as they reclined in the living room, Sigyn soaked in a SpongeBob Squarepants special.

Natasha was sitting in the oversized recliner, Angrboda was firmly planted in the armchair across from her and Loki was lying on the couch with Sigyn resting on top of him, his long, deft fingers combing through her soft hair.

“Do you like Thor, Mommy?” Sigyn asked out of the blue, Loki’s hand pausing in her hair and the women finally turned their eyes away from each other to look over at them, Natasha offering a quirk of the lips and Angie a curious frown - maybe she wasn’t as engrossed as he thought she was.

“He isn’t as much of a pain as I initially thought he would be.” Loki replied.

“That wasn’t an answer, Mommy.”

Loki groaned. Her intelligence was indeed both a blessing and curse. “I’m rather fond of him.”

“Was that where you went last time? To see him?”

Loki didn’t think he’d have any conversation with his daughter until she was an adolescent at best. “Yes.”

Angie’s frown deepened and Natasha sported a full blown smile in response to it.

“Will you see him again?”

“The plan was this Friday, same time.”

“Do you need me to watch her?” Angie offered. “It’s been a little while since we were together.”

“And it’ll be a while still.” Natasha spoke up. “She’s going to be with me should Loki choose to go.”

Angie scowled. “I’ve watched over her after all this time, why should it change now?”

“Because things and _people_ change.” Natasha replied.

Loki pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Sigyn shifted around so that she lay flat on her stomach, propping her head on the arms she crossed on her mother’s chest, stunning green meeting stunning green. “Can I come too?” she said softly.

Loki was about as prepared for that question as he was when she asked of the extent in which he cared for Thor. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to have her there, she was never one to cause problems and he felt an infinite amount of proud at how well-behaved she was. He was beginning to see an unlikely - well, not so unlikely, with his shining smile and easy personality he had no doubt that Thor was going to be a great father someday (well...in the near future actually) - bond was forging between the two of them. And it would delay the cat fight he could see burgeoning between the two women, keyword: _delay_.

“Of course.” he affirmed just as softly before raising his voice. “Sigyn will be accompanying Thor and me on whatever excursion he will have planned this Friday. There will be no need to oversee her.” He would just notify Thor that the activities would need to be altered to include his daughter.

Natasha nodded her agreement with the plan, Angie’s frown had returned tenfold, and Sigyn squealed happily.

“Wouldn’t you rather be alone with Thor?” Angie questioned.

Why was she pushing this so?

“It’s actually a very good idea. I would like for them to have a foundation to build off of especially since he and I are-” Loki paused, closing in on the _having a child of our own together_ and instead said “Especially since he and I are turning rather serious. If he doesn’t get along with her then there just is no relationship to be had.”

“But we do get along!” Sigyn insisted. “He’s my new friend!”

“Syn comes first.” Loki continued. “So since they’ve already met on numerous occasions I wasn’t privy to, what further harm could it do? None. My decision is final. She comes with us.”

It wasn’t like Angie had any other choice but to go along with it, so she gave him a stiff nod in acquiesce.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Thor, Balder, Tony and Bruce followed after Clint as he rattled the old door to the even older storage area in one of the seedier neighborhoods in New York City.

There was a man tied to the chair in the center of the room with duct tape on his mouth. By the looks - and smells - of him, he’s been here for a few days. He was gruff, but as he looked up they recognized him instantly.

“Svad?” Thor, Tony, and Balder said in unison.

Svad had been a very promising lab tech, but he’d thought himself above his fellow workers and even contested against Tony, and the lab wasn’t big enough for two planet-sized egos. He had caused enough trouble for them to take the easier route of firing him instead of transferring him to another area for him to wreak social havoc in.

Tony snorted. “No wonder some of the tampering was so elementary. Shit tech, shit hacking.”

Clint tore the duct tape off of Svad’s mouth. “Fuck you, Stark.” he spat.

“Why did you do this? Who are you working for?” Thor inquired, getting right down to business.

Svad scowled and looked away from them, earning a backhand from Clint.

“Who are you working for?” 

“Fuck you.” Another hit.

“Who are you working for?” Clint repeated.

“Fuck. You.”

“I’m sure it’ll hurt a lot worse if Thor or Balder did this. Should we trade places?” Clint asked. “Better yet...” Clint pulled out a small device, flipping on the switch on the side of it, revealing to be a taser. “Let’s test out how well balls can take electricity, mh?”

Svad’s eyes widened and he tried in vain to close his legs.

“Let’s start with the first question. Why did you do this?”

“He promised that I would see the downfall of that shithole.”

Thor and Tony scowled. Both remained silent though.

“Who are you working for?”

Svad shook his head.

Clint leaned the taser closer down to his crotch.

“Who are you working for?”

No response.

He moved the device even closer.

“Who are you working for?”

This time he didn’t wait, and just as it was about to graze his crotch...

“Wait, stop!” Svad cried. “Jotnar Tech! Jotnar Tech!”

Everyone’s stare hardened even further as Clint shut off the taser.

“Fuckin’ Laufey.” Tony shook his head.

Thor growled.


	21. What's Kid Friendly?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the midst of some serious brainstorming, the guys try to help Thor with ideas and Thor and Balder have a very small heart to heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over 200 kudos! You guys and gals are so awesome! This is a tad bit short but the next chapter will be much longer in comparison. If you spot any mistakes please let me know! Comments make for a very happy author but aren't necessary for me to continue. Enjoy!

Loki leaned back against the door and sighed. Usually he liked a bit of confrontation, even went as far to spur it on in a lot of cases, but in light of recent events it was a relief to have the Cold War between Natasha and Angie outside of his home after hours of having to endure it.

He entered the living room, a small smile appearing at the sight of his daughter curled up on the couch sleeping. He turned the television off before he picked her up, careful not to wake her, and frowned - she felt a little heavier than usual, he couldn’t decide if it was her or him. Earlier he’d been swept up in the adrenaline of fear that something might have happened to Thor and had been able to swoop her up and even run with her without so much as a pause.

It was just too early for him to be affected by the pregnancy to this extent so he wrote it off as being tired and proceeded to put Sigyn to bed properly. Closing the door until there was just a slip of space available in case she needed him, he pulled out his phone. He needed to let Thor know of the addition to their date and he needed to contact Saga - he would be missing another night, he knew he couldn’t keep this up forever and that after a certain point in this pregnancy he wouldn’t be able to work at all.

Going too far in the future was just too much for him to contemplate on right now so he quickly shot the text to Thor and dialed up Saga on the way to his own room.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Thor, Balder, Tony, Clint, and Bruce were all settled around the table in the dining room of Tony’s mansion - coffee, tea, alcohol (on Tony’s insistence, but Thor sternly let him know that he better show up to work on time and coherent tomorrow), and papers strewn all about its surface.

“We need some type of plan.” Tony said, slumping in his chair.

“Of course we don’t. We’ll just let more people try to tap into our info and whoever gets there the fastest gets the prize of all our data.” Balder snorted.

“How are the boys doin’ Balder?” Tony asked innocently.

“Fuck you, Stark.” He could still feel a dull throb in his groin when he walked or tried to sit down in and get up from a chair.

“Do you think you’re in good enough shape to do that, blondie?”

Balder opened his mouth to say something, only to be cut off by his brother.

“You can bicker at another time, we need to focus on our current issues.” Thor said.

“What we need to do is find someone who’s close enough to Laufey, but wishes the ground he walks on would collapse from underneath him.” Bruce suggested. “Have an inside man, so to speak.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Tony scratched at his goatee. “But we need someone who isn’t just as likely to let him in on what we’re doing and double cross us just as fast as he’s willing to double cross Laufey, and good luck with that one. There’s nothing but shady characters in that entourage.”

“There _is_ someone we can go to.” Clint spoke up, looking solely at Thor. “Close enough to get whatever we need, and I bet he’s just itching for the day that Laufey goes down or kicks the bucket.”

Thor frowned, as did all the others. “Who?”

His pocket buzzed, pulling his attention away and he slid it out of his pocket, wincing when the dull ache in his side made itself known. It was a text message, it was amazing how much his mood elevated when he saw who it was from.

_Friday, make it kid friendly._ It read.

“Kid friendly?” Thor mumbled. He felt a presence very close beside him.

“Another date, hm?” Tony was peeking over at the text, earning a scowl from the blonde. “Kid friendly? He bringing the kiddo too?”

“Yes, and I have no idea where to go.” Thor admitted.

Tony pondered this for all of five seconds before saying, “Hooters.” He frowned when he received glares from everyone. “What? They’re becoming more family friendly!”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what a little girl needs to see - half naked women serving food.” Clint deadpanned. “How about Central Park?”

The atmosphere was suddenly lighter after having focused on all the new bits of information they’d received from Svad about Jotnar Tech’s espionage for the last few hours.

“That’s so boring!” Tony threw his hands up. “Everyone goes there!”

“How about the zoo?” Bruce offered. “Kids love animals...I think.”

“That’s even tackier than the Central Park idea! There’s actually a zoo _in_ Central Park.”

“And scarring a little girl for life with half naked women delivering wings to overweight forty-somethings is so much better.” Clint responded. “What about bowling?”

“Actually, I think I would be safest with a child-centered restaurant.” Thor mentioned.

“You talking Chuck E. Cheese’s?” Tony scowled. “I don’t think I know you anymore.” He slammed a palm into the table and his face lit up. “Laser tag.”

Thor gave him a look. “She’s four.”

“So? You’ve seen how smart she is and how she acts. She’d smoke you both in a laser tag match.”

“No, Tony.”

Tony pouted. “How about the beach?”

Clint smacked Tony in the back of the head, earning a yelp from him. “It’s early fall, you idiot!”

“What about camping?”

Everyone gave Balder a surprised look, especially Thor. With the way that his brother had been responding to all things Loki after the incident today, he hadn’t been expecting any input from him.

“Clint just said it’s early fall!” Tony replied.

“That’s what campfires are for, and Thor’s been lighting them for us all the times we’ve gone since we became Eagle Scouts.”

“You were in the Boy Scouts?” Tony looked over at Thor with wide eyes.

“So was I. Is there a problem with that?” Clint asked.

“Me too.” Bruce added. “Didn’t like it, but I was in it.”

“Don’t hate cause you can’t light fires and pitch up tents.”

“But camping for one night when I have to get to Marvel at seven in the morning isn’t ideal.”

Balder sighed. “Take Friday and Saturday off. We’ve all had time off except you, the last time you did anything close to it was almost two years ago when Mother had fallen ill.” 

“That’s the definition of fucking insanity.” Tony cut in.

“You know I can handle a good bit of the things you do. You can take your emergency pager with you just in case, campsites aren’t known for having good signal.”

“Or any signal at all.” Tony yawned.

“We should wrap this up until tomorrow, same time.” Balder stood, looking at his watch. “It’s almost eleven.”

Clint nodded. “There’s still some things I want to look into. You think you’ll need me on base until we meet up again?”

Thor waved him off, standing up too. “Do what needs to be done. This is more important.”

Clint gave him a salute. “Yes, sir.”

The brothers were the first to leave, climbing into Thor’s Dodge.

They were almost to Balder’s flat when Thor could hold his tongue no longer. “Why are you doing this?” he asked, shooting a quick glance his way. “Your distaste for Loki is quite apparent, yet you offer to take on my duties so I could spend time with him.”

“Don’t get me wrong Brother, I still don’t trust him, but I trust that you have some knowledge of what you’re getting yourself into here. You’re an adult and will do what you want regardless of how anyone else has to say, it’s how you’ve gotten to where you are now. Above all, I want you to be happy, and if he’s what it takes to make it happen, I’ll bite my tongue unless it’s an absolute necessity to do otherwise.”

It was better than Thor could have hoped for - his older brother might even come to like Loki in time, specifically after their child has been born. He pulled up in front of the gated building and stopped, giving his brother a hopeful smile.

“He is. You have my thanks.”

Balder nodded and climbed out before poking his head back in. “Focus on the road and nothing but the road, stay in well-lit areas, and if you feel a headache coming on or your vision gets iffy park immediately and call me. That was a pretty serious blow even if you have a hard head.”

“Yes, mother number two.”

Balder gave him a fond grin. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you in the morn.”

Balder shut the door and headed for the gates, Thor watching him as he got farther and farther away. He pulled out his phone and pulled up the text Loki had sent him. He hit the reply button.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Loki was engrossed in rereading one of his favorite works of literature when his phone vibrated on the small table next to his bed. He picked it up, pursing his lips when he saw that it was from Thor, he hadn’t been expecting a reply from him. His jaw dropped in sheer incredulity when he read the contents.

_So, have you ever been camping?_


	22. Camping: Prelude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part one of four of the camping trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! And I know I said that this chapter would be longer but I decided to write about the trip day by day with Friday being split into two. And I had to write a 3-page speech and 6-page research paper in the last few days so it's a miracle that I was able to churn this out. Part two will be out either late tomorrow or early Saturday, that I can promise. If you spot any mistakes please let me know! Comments make the author super happy (she needs happy after this hell-acious week) but they aren't necessary for me to keep going. Enjoy!

“That the last of it?” Balder asked, brushing his hands together to rid them of non-existent dirt and dust.

The brothers had been all over the place these last few days procuring everything Thor could possibly need for the camping trip - neither of the two batting an eye at the prices they racked up along the way as they went from store to store in the city. 

Thor gave everything one last look over before shutting the hatch of the SUV. “I believe so. Thanks again, Brother.”

“No problem. You have a health kit?”

“Yes, in the medicinal bag.”

“Sprays and lotions?”

“Yes, they are in the medicinal bag as well.”

“You have an emergency kit?”

Thor gave him an exasperated look. “Yes, in the glove compartment.”

“Do you have the pager on you?”

“Yes, Brother. I am sufficiently prepared for this adventure.”

“Never hurts to make sure. Good journey and have fun, you deserve it.” Balder patted him on the back and jogged over to his own car. He had to hurry back to his flat to change and head to Marvel.

Thor gave him a relaxed salute before climbing into the SUV and pulling out of the parking lot. He’d acquired it only the day prior after realizing (or Balder realizing for him) that the Dodge would in no way be fit for the trip - driving or storage wise. After nearly going into a panic, Balder had lead him over to Security where they spoke to Volstagg - a divorced father of four - to ask him what would be the safest mode of transportation for a family, the large man happily telling him the make and model of his own family transportation when it was his time with the kids and even told them what dealership had the best available.

He’d dragged Balder with him to the dealership on his lunch break and gotten it within the hour - one of the great beauties of having money and influence - and left Tony in control (he thanked the stars above had hadn’t been given a reason to regret it afterwards) for another hour to get it plated and tagged. With the limited space at the building that house his flat, he had left his Dodge at his parents’ home - flustering under his mother’s curious questions and equally curious eyes that turned worried when she saw the scar the gash had left behind and stammered an excuse of already being late back to the company that he could tell she in no way bought (if the look in her soft, blue eyes was anything to go by) and hurried to where Balder was sniggering at him in the passenger’s seat.

He knew he’d have to get her caught up to speed with everything that’s happened - edited, of course - she was not only his mother but she’d be a grandmother as well, something she had been no so subtly hinting at wanting from her sons. She would be so happy to hear that he was going to be a father and he was one-hundred percent certain that she would simply adore Sigyn once she met her. That would all come in time though.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Friday had come much faster than expected for Loki. He still had trouble wrapping his mind around the fact that he’d stupidly agreed to go camping. It was a disaster in the making. When he’d told Natasha when she came over just an hour earlier, she literally burst out laughing - shocking (he’d never seen or heard her laugh so heartily before, she even snorted at the end) and irritating him at the same time.

“Do you even have anything remotely outdoorsy?” she had asked.

And Loki had frozen. No, he didn’t and he was damn sure she knew that. “No, I don’t.”

“And as intelligent as you are you didn’t think to get any?”

Loki had glared at her until she left, her shoulders still shaking with uncontrollable laughter.

Now, he watched as Sigyn eagerly paced the length of the living room from his vantage point on the recliner, his daughter stopping every few minutes to peer outside to see if Thor had arrived. With every moment that passed he secretly reveled that he wasn’t here yet, Loki still wasn’t mentally prepared for this.

After what had to the hundredth time of her peeking through the window, Sigyn squealed and ran out of the living room and into the hall to the front door. Loki sighed and reluctantly pulled himself up, following at a much more sedate pace. She had managed to get the door open before he got there and was already chatting to Thor who had bent down to her level; Loki paused, taking Thor in - he was dressed as casually as Loki had ever seen him (sans the day they bumped into each other at the park, but his morning sickness prevented him from truly reveling in it), suited in black hunting boots, blue jeans, and a white T-shirt with an open flannel over it with the sleeves folded up to his elbows. His hair was half up, the other half draping over his shoulder and back, a few strands hanging loosely in front of his face.

He looked completely and utterly delectable. And he was all _his_.

Thor looked up and happened to spot him, his grin growing even brighter (at least Loki would like to think so) and stood to his full height. “Loki! Are you ready to go? We are making one last stop before we journey on. On second thought... I assume you don’t have clothes for this endeavor, and I’m sure by extension Sigyn -”

“Syn!”

Thor frowned down at the small girl. “I beg your pardon?”

“You can call me Syn. That’s what my mommy, Miss Nattie, and Miss Angie call me. You should too!”

Thor looked both taken aback and vastly honored. “Syn it is then.” he smiled.

Sigyn beamed, the growing admiration in her eyes caused a pang in Loki’s chest. It was the way that she should have always been able to look to James.

“And Mommy doesn’t like going outside. I have some outdoor clothes but they’re not good for camping.”

“That will be our final stop before we leave. Right now we need to go obtain fishing licenses for your mother and me.”

Both sets of green eyes grew exponentially - Sigyn’s in wondrous expectation and Loki’s in absolute horror.

Sigyn squeaked and darted past Thor to the SUV. With a smile that lacked no small amount of mischief, Thor picked up the bag that Loki had placed by the door an hour ago. He stopped in front of Loki, placing his free hand on his hip and leaning down to kiss him; Loki reciprocated automatically, but his mind was still in a daze. Being surrounded by all sorts of buzzing and chirping and howling creatures in a nylon hovel (Thor didn’t strike him as the cabin type) was one thing, but touching slimy worms and equally as slimy fish was another thing entirely.

Thor pulled back, the grin still firmly in place. “Shall we? There’s a very eager little girl waiting by the car for us so we can go.”

Loki reluctantly - _very reluctantly_ \- followed after him, locking up the house as Thor went to put the bag in the back with the rest of the supplies. When he arrived at the SUV, he opened the door for his daughter, surprised to see that there was a booster seat strapped in. He shot a glance to where Thor was making room for the additional cargo before helping Sigyn inside, buckling her in securely; he closed the door and got into the passenger’s seat.

“I never pictured you having a vehicle such as this.” Loki said when Thor climbed into the driver’s seat.

“Would you have preferred a minivan?” Thor chuckled and Loki rolled his eyes. 

“My girl isn’t exactly camping friendly so I go this instead.” Thor shrugged, starting up the engine. “Besides, it will prove to be quite handy in the future.” He looked down at Loki’s flat abdomen, Loki biting his lip and looking out the window. A large, warm hand covered his own and Loki hesitantly turned back to find those blue eyes gazing at him with a doting look that made Loki feel warmth spread through his entire being.

Giggling in the backseat snapped their attention from each other to the girl that was grinning in the back. Thor smiled back at her as he put the SUV in drive and Loki flushed and glued his eyes intently on the houses that slowly started to pass by as Thor pulled off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there's any artists out there, would any of you mind drawing something for this? It would be out of this world to receive such an honor! And I'm pimping out my Tumblr too, [mztwilson.tumblr.com](http://mztwilson.tumblr.com/) .


	23. Camping: Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of four of the camping Trip. Loki's P.O.V.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This came out later than expected but I'm so happy with the results and I hope you are too! If you spot any errors let me know so I can fix them. Although they aren't necessary comments make the author very flail-ly and happy. Enjoy!

It was early afternoon when Loki felt that now familiar pit of dread in his stomach when the tall wooden sign that read [_WELCOME CROTON POINT PARK_](http://www.nyc-photo-gallery.com/Galleries/Croton_Pt_Park/croton_point-030.jpg) came into sight. Why wasn’t there a ‘to’ after welcome? That alone made him even more wary than he’d already been - if they couldn’t afford a sign with proper grammar how could they afford a campground that wasn’t likely to get him killed? 

He looked down at the hands on the compartment between he and Thor - the blonde hadn’t let his hand go save for getting in and out of the SUV to browse several clothing stores and outdoor outlets since he was aware that Loki’s personality didn’t make him exactly comfortable with such a bold display in public. They had come out successful with an outdoorsy wardrobe for the three days and emergency changing situations courtesy of Thor - Loki relented only when he told himself that this excursion was somewhat on the lines of a date and since he was the one being treated Thor could pay, not because Thor had argued him down in anyway.

They came to a stop in the sparsely populated parking lot and Thor let all the windows back up before they climbed out; Thor quickly headed to the hatch to start collecting their gear and Loki went to the back to retrieve Sigyn. He opened the door and couldn’t fight down the smile that came up, she had fallen asleep on the way to the grounds after chatting Thor up for what seemed to be forever - she looked peaceful and beautiful and, not for the first time, he wondered what the child between Thor and himself would look like. He gently unbuckled her from the booster seat and gathered her in his arms before reaching out to grab the bag he had packed, shutting the door with a hip and meeting Thor in the back.

He made a good and efficient pack mule - he had a large backpack on, two medium-sized bags dangling off of each shoulder, the handle to a long, large chest was tucked under one arm and he had positioned a large pack on a heavy duty mobile cooler which handle he was gripping and he was maneuvering the bag to grasp the handle of a much smaller cooler. Loki shouldered his own bag on the one Sigyn wasn’t occupying and closed the hatch for him, batting his hand away and taking the second cooler’s handle.

After making sure the SUV was locked up securely they headed down one of the many paths; Sigyn woke up about halfway there - according to Thor it was halfway - and took it upon herself to claim the duty of lugging the cooler Loki had been pulling, allowing him to filch a couple of the bags from Thor despite his protests, and with Sigyn talking a mile a minute between them (this was probably the most he’s ever heard his daughter speak) they finally reached the area they would be staying in. 

There were trees surrounding the small open space and the open waters of the slow moving Hudson River was both close enough and a fair distance away from them. There was a great amount of green scenery around but he could tell that it was slowly being affected by the climate change.

Thor immediately set to work on the tent while Loki scavenged through the bag with the crudely drawn hospital cross until he came by the bug repellant. Calling Sigyn over from where she was doing her best to help Thor out, he sprayed any open surface of skin that wasn’t covered by her new clothes before doing the same to himself.

He joined them in setting up the tent, though he had to admit that his daughter was a much bigger help than he was and as the two of them rummaged through the bags to properly furnish it, Thor set about digging shallow hole and finding sizeable rocks to circle it, no doubt preparing it for a fire later on.

“Aren’t you the proper boy scout?” Loki teased when Thor came back from fetching a handful of dried leaves and moss and an armful of twigs and small fallen branches.

“Eagle Scout.” Thor corrected with a wink, situating everything into a teepee fashion. He pulled out a thin rope and tied the tops of the twigs together.

Loki raised a brow. “I’m not an expert but I don’t believe that’s what the typical campfire looks like.”

Thor beamed as he stood up from his crouch, dusting the dirt off of his hands. “Not really. It is for smoking the fish we will be catching.”

Loki groaned and Sigyn squealed.

“Can I fish too?” she asked hopefully.

Thor went over to the large chest and searched through it, pulling out the halves to a child-sized fishing pole. “Why of course you can, mother permitting though.”

They both looked at Loki and he sighed, just because he didn’t want to do it doesn’t mean that he was going to deprive his angel from her fun. He nodded.

Sigyn squealed again (she must have lost her marbles between the time Loki told her about the trip and now) and ran over to him, hugging his leg tightly before going over to where Thor had pulled out some fishing gear and medium-sized bucket and where in the world had he found the room to pack as much as he did?

Thor tugged on a pair of gloves and tied a bandana over the lower half of his face, going over to the large cooler and pushing it open. A gust of fog-like smoke came out as he reached in, pulling out a small bag of ice before closing it.

“You needed all that to retrieve a bag of ice?”

“I imagine being burned by touching or inhaling straight carbon dioxide sublimated by the dry ice at the bottom isn’t a great start to our camping trip.” Thor replied as he poured the ice in the bucket, his voice muffled by the bandana.

“And yet we rode all the way up here with it in the back of the vehicle?” Loki asked incredulously.

“All the windows were down and the car was well ventilated. I would not put any of you in harm’s way.” Thor shucked off the gloves and untied the bandana. He handed Sigyn the tackle box and gathered the rest of the supplies. “Shall we?”

Loki pulled a book from his bag and a picnic type blanket he spotted from one of Thor’s.

Thor frowned when he approached them. “You will not be joining us?”

“Perhaps tomorrow.” _Or never..._

They crossed the grass and padded over to the small dock. Loki spread out the blanket and perched against one of the wooden pillars while Thor helped Sigyn to put together her pole and line it, showing her how to twine the hook and put on the lead himself, not willing to risk the wrath of Loki should she prick herself in a clumsy first attempt.

Then came the worms. Thor opened up the can and Loki visibly shuddered as he pulled out a particularly active one.

“Can I put it on?”

Loki looked at his daughter in pure horror she did most of the work herself with few slips as Thor told her what to do. Once she was ready to go Thor made quick work of his own, much larger pole and taught her how to cast out. It was nowhere near as far as Thor’s but Loki had to admit it was pretty impressive for a four year old girl.

Thor reached into his back pocket before he sat down, leaning over to place disposable camera next to Loki. He glanced down at it before looking to Thor, but his attention was already to the gentle currents of the water.

“The key word here is ‘patience’,” Thor told Sigyn. “We’ll worry about everything else in time, we just have to wait for the right moment.”

This stunned Loki for a number of reasons - Thor didn’t seem like the patient type which was why he was skeptic of this whole fishing thing in the first place, he sounded uncharacteristically wise which made Loki question exactly how things worked in that blonde head of his, and that although his words were being applied to fishing, it could also be applied to many other things, their ‘relationship’ at the very top of those list of things.

Loki decided to open his new book and read while the two of them spoke quietly, he didn’t know exactly what they spoke about in their little moments like this, but he would admit that it eased him to see them get along so well, he made a mental note to ask Sigyn once they’d returned home. He was barely through the first chapter and Thor had already caught three, Sigyn wasn’t discouraged in the least, her green eyes trained on the waters each time Thor dropped a fish in the bucket.

He was on the third chapter when she yelped, his eyes tearing from the page to see her pulling enthusiastically at her pole. Thor had put his own reel to the side to crouch behind her.

“Reel in as you pull.” he instructed, holding her steady as she did what she was told. “That’s it, you’ve got it.”

Sigyn tried to reign in her excitement in order to concentrate on what she was doing, her small hand and arm moving rapidly as she reeled in - the fish was either being very stubborn or it was large, because Thor had to help her pull, the pole flexing down dramatically.

It proved to be a combination of both and Thor hauled Sigyn back as it flopped on the dock. Thor weighed it down with a boot and Sigyn crawled over to its mouth, Thor helping her to unhook its lip before hauling it up.

“I did it!” she clapped excitedly.

“You did! Well done! All I did when I caught my first fish was nearly drown trying steady the reel.” Thor grinned down at her.

“Thanks for helping me!”

Sigyn had such a look mixed with adoration, happiness, and pride in herself on her young face that it gave Loki the most relaxed smile he ever remembered having and Thor reflected that pride and excitement on his own face and the combination of both gazes made his chest tighten. He quickly picked up the camera and snapped a picture of it.

“Mommy look! Look!”

“I see it, darling. I’m proud of you.” And he truly was.

He heard Thor call out and saw him wave, watching as a kayak of four what appeared to be college aged girls headed over to them.

“Is there something you need?” The one at the front asked.

“Yes, do you mind taking a photo of us?”

“Not at all.” She held her hand out and the other three girls giggled as Thor took the camera from Loki and handed it to her.

Sigyn grabbed Loki’s wrist and urged him over to crouch on her left as Thor took the right. Thor handed her the fish and it looked so large in her small hands but its fight was severely weakened from the lack of water so she was able to hold it without too much trouble.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

Loki found that he didn’t have to force the smile on his face and though it wasn’t a full on, teeth baring one like the other two wore it was just as genuine when the girl snapped the photo.

It was almost dark out when they returned to their campsite with their plentiful haul and Thor demolished his earlier structure in favor of lying it out like a regular campfire. Once he got the fire going he pulled out a rack and placed it over the burgeoning flames. Loki took over as soon as Thor de-scaled the fish, Sigyn helping and quickly taking over while the blonde gutted them before passing them over for cooking. Thor proved that he wasn’t an absolute waste in the culinary field when he pulled out a small box that contained various seasonings and meekly handed them over to Loki.

He had to admit, freshly caught fish had a distinct taste that those from the grocer will never be able to recreate. They washed it down with drinks from the small cooler - water for both men and a juice box for the young girl.

Sigyn had fallen asleep soon after Loki had wiped her down with a few baby wipes, her small body tucked into his lap and Thor sat as close as he could, Loki leaning on him. Loki closed his eyes when those thick fingers went combing through his hair, sighing when the blunt nails scraped over a particularly good spot.

“Loki?”

“Mmh?”

Thor seemed to weigh his options before he spoke again, his voice low so as to not disturb Sigyn’s slumber. “You’re - Please tell me you’re still not working in your condition.”

Loki sighed, but this time it wasn’t from pleasure. “I’ve called in the past few nights, but I know that I’ll have to go back soon. Work as much as I can before I start to show.”

Thor’s fingers stopped. “No.”

“No?”

“Don’t. Loki don’t go back there. You don’t have to.”

“If anything I have more reason to now more than ever.”

“No, you don’t. Loki, I told you I wouldn’t leave you to this on your own.”

Loki pulled away as quick as he could without jarring his daughter. “Ah, so you think yourself a knight in shining armor then, mh? That you can whisk me to a place where all the bad things won’t get to me?”

“I am no simpleton. I know such a place doesn’t exist but I would have the three of you as taken care of as possible.”

Loki frowned.

“Yes, the _three_ of you. Just because Sigyn was not born of my blood doesn’t make her any less important here. She’s everything to you and in turn she’s the same to me because you mean everything to _me_.”

Loki shook his head. No, these things didn’t just happen to him. “You must be joking.”

“I do not jest. I’m optimistic, but I am not naive. Not any longer, I left that behind in my twenties.”

This got Loki’s attention. “How old are you now?”

Thor frowned. “I will be 34 this December.”

Loki must truly have a penchant for older, influential and ambitious men. With the way he carried himself in Loki’s presence, it was hard to imagine him as the first two. 

“As I was saying, I left my naiveté to my younger years. Do not think me so now. I know what I’m getting into here.”

“No you don’t.” Loki snorted. “The only one that was able to handle the baggage that came along with me was James, and you already know how that ended.”

“What’s in your past is just that, in your past.”

“My father is in my past, present, and no doubt my future.” Loki found himself saying. “He’s the sole reason I’ve been stuck in this rut for the last few years of my life. Have you ever wondered what a man with Ph.D.’s is doing whoring himself out?” Loki didn’t wait for Thor to respond. “Because that’s what I do, no matter how extravagant it looks, the Valhalla is a whorehouse. My father is a very powerful man and he stopped at nothing until whatever good reputation I had worked up since I had begun interning was run through the ground after I divorced James. No one wanted me anywhere I went so I had to stoop so low as to sell my body to keep me and my daughter alive. What else could I do? All I know is science and technology and he ruined those opportunities for me so he could keep me on a leash and take the Tesseract from me! He’s gone so far as to threaten my child, Thor. My child!”

His vision began to blur as big, strong arms wrapped around him tightly, stirring Sigyn only slightly before she settled back down.

“Name him. Name him and I will end him.”

“I’m certain you already know of him.”

“ _Loki_.”

“He’s the founder of Jotnar Tech. Laufey.”

Loki squeezed his eyes shut when Thor tensed, a growl escaping him.

“He will no longer be your problem. Just let me help you. Let me take care of you, Loki.”

Even though he fought hard against them, the tears began to fall down his pale cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next day is Thor's P.O.V. Pimping the Tumblr [mztwilson.tumblr.com](http://mztwilson.tumblr.com/).


	24. Camping: Saturday (Early Morning)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part three of five of the camping trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to split this chapter up into two parts: a shorter one and a longer one since this came out radically different than what I had planned. This took a slight turn for the dark and I hope this doesn't scare any of you off but it gets lighter near the end. It's not enough for a trigger warning (at least I think so) but I'll warn you just in case: unwanted advances and towards minors (DEAR LORD IT'S NOT THOR! BEFORE YOU MAKE ASSUMPTIONS IT'S NOT HIM). The next chapter is still in Thor's POV. If you spot any mistakes please let me know so I can fix them. Comments make for a happy author but it isn't necessary for me to continue on. Long rant aside, enjoy (kind of weird to use that for this but what the heck)!

Thor frowned as he stared into the blank space of morning around him. He couldn’t shake the habit of getting up so early in the morning - the sun had just risen at little than an hour ago - so he slipped out of the large tent shared with Loki and Sigyn.

He was seated in front of the small fire he had made, cooking the leftover fish stored in the cooler just the way he had seen Loki do it last night. His attention was torn between making sure they didn’t burn and his thoughts on everything Loki had told him last night.

What was going on between Jotnar Tech and Marvel Industries was going to quickly escalate beyond mere competition between two companies now that he knew what he knew. He wouldn’t allow Laufey to continue terrorizing his own son and granddaughter and he’d be damned if he ever allowed that monster to so much as _threaten_ his child.

He looked up when he heard shuffling about in the tent and he smiled when he saw a brown little head poke out of the entranceway before Sigyn eased out quietly. She wandered over and got a juice box before sitting next to, but slightly behind Thor to avoid getting close to the flames.

“Good morning.” she said before stabbing through the small slit of aluminum with her straw and sipping at her juice.

“Good morn. How are you?”

“I always feel crabby when I wake up. I’ll be better though. What about you?”

Thor chuckled, it never ceased to amaze him how well-spoken she was. It was going to be an honor for his child to have a mother such as Loki that could double as a tutor in his or her early years as well. “I am well.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Okay, so he should have known that she would see right through him, she was Loki’s daughter after all. Thor frowned and looked over at the tent. “Syn, may I ask you a question?”

“Is this about why you look kinda grumpy?”

“Grumpy?”

“Mhmm.” She sipped some more of her juice.

“If that’s what you will call it then fine. You’ve met your grandfather, yes?”

He didn’t like the way she drew into herself ever so slightly. “Yes.”

“You’ve seen him interact with your mother?”

“That’s more than one.”

“I have a few questions then.”

Sigyn sighed, a sound didn’t fit someone her age. She spoke quietly, “Mommy doesn’t like him, really doesn’t like him. But Mommy’s more scared of him than not liking him. Uncle Helblindi and Uncle Byleistr too.”

Thor tensed. “Do you know why, exactly?”

Sigyn lowered her voice even further, Thor leaning down to listen. “Mommy always sends me to my room whenever they come, but there was one time after a while I remembered I forgot Sleipnir and went back down to go get him. Uncle Helblindi was touching Mommy in a bad place and he was trying to get away but Uncle Helblindi was too strong.” Thor felt his blood boil like nothing before but he held himself in check as she continued. “Bragi ran past me and bit him on the butt and he let Mommy go. I didn’t want Mommy to be mad so I went back to my room.”

“Your uncle Byleistr is the same?”

This is where Sigyn hesitated significantly. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” she shook her head and curled into herself.

Thor’s heart nearly stopped. “Syn, what did he do?”

She shook her head and looked down.

Thor hated to push her and dreaded what he might find out, but he just had to know. “Sigyn,” her head snapped up at the use of her full first name. “You can tell me, it’ll stay between us.”

“He’ll get mad. He said I wasn’t allowed to tell! He said he’d hurt me or that he’d tell Mommy I did bad stuff.”

Thor checked on the fish quickly and scooted back from the fire, pulling Sigyn into his arms. “If he gets angry he will have me to answer to. Do you think he could hurt me?”

She shook her head and burned her face in the juncture of his neck. “You’re bigger than him. Much bigger.”

“So do you believe that I would let him hurt you?”

It was moments before she slowly shook her head.

“So can you tell me?”

She nodded.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know where Mommy and Miss Angie were, but Uncle Byleistr came into my room.” Thor had thought that this Byleistr had done harm to Loki but he felt sick to his stomach at the direction this story was turning. “H-he touched me in the same place Uncle Helblindi touched Mommy and he made me touch him too. He tried to make it seem like we were playing but I knew better. Bragi was sleeping in my room and I whistled so he would wake up and he made Uncle Byleistr get out. He must have heard what Bragi did to Uncle Helblindi. He made me promise not to tell anyone before leaving.”

An all-consuming rage was churning through Thor’s system and he hugged the small girl tight to his much larger body. “You know I would never do anything like that to you, don’t you?”

“I know. You’re my friend. Friends don’t do that to their friends.”

“You are absolutely correct.”

“I’m scared he’s going to come back again. I’m scared that they’re all going to come back.”

 _Like hell,_ Thor thought. If he had had any lingering doubts about what he was going to ask Loki at the end of this weekend, what Sigyn just told him demolished them all. He’d be damned if he left them in that house for another day, he’d talk to Loki until they were both hoarse, but he wasn’t leaving them there.

“You don’t have to worry about that. You’re not going back there.”

Sigyn sat back and frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I do not care what I have to do to convince your mother but I can’t leave you in that house.”

“Where would we go?”

“You’re coming with me. Both of you.”

A small but genuine smile graced her face. “Really?”

“Really.” Thor confirmed. He was going to have a lot to explain to his brother, Balder surely wouldn’t agree or like where things were turning so unexpectedly, but Thor couldn’t see - _wouldn’t see_ \- any other way. Those people were monsters and he wondered how Loki was able to maintain such composer and Sigyn such happiness after what they must be going through at the hands of said monsters. “But we’ll keep that between us until I have the chance to talk to your mother, alright?”

“Okay.” She gave him a fierce hug, her tiny arms wrapping tightly along Thor’s neck. “Thank you.”

They both froze when they heard the telltale sounds of Loki coming out of the tent.

“This is rather interesting.” he said as he took the two of them in.

Sigyn snuggled closer to Thor, grinning. “He’s warm and he’s squishier than you.” 

Bless this child’s soul. Thor turned his head back so he could watch Loki approach, sparing a quick glance at Sigyn. “Squishy? I haven’t been squishy since I was your age, little one.”

Loki grabbed the discarded picnic blanket and spread it out next to them before sitting down. “I came just in time. You were just about to burn our breakfast.”

Thor jumped and looked over at the fire and sure enough the tails of the fish were a little darker than what they were supposed to be. Just a little though.

“What have you planned for us today?” Loki asked as he eased the fish from the flames. “Hopefully it involves some type of cleansing.”

Sigyn climbed out of Thor’s lap to sit between the two men.

“I’m sure you will like our adventure today. We shall go exploring.”

“Which is another word for hiking isn’t it?”

Thor chuckled. “Not entirely. There are shower facilities near where we are going.”

“Mm. Just what I need in the morning, cold showers and bugs.”

Sigyn looked at her mother has if to say ‘Really?’ “I’ve never had a shower before. It’s always been bubble baths. But those are fun.”

“The showers were quite fine the last time my brother and I came here. We donate to this park yearly to ensure its upkeep. We’ve camped here since we were children, this place is near and dear to our hearts.”

“Syn and I will see for ourselves once we’ve swallowed down this monstrosity of an attempt at cooking.”

“Well you’ll just have to cook for us from now on then.” Thor shot a wink to Sigyn when Loki inspected the rest of their breakfast, she smiled brightly up at him and winked back knowingly. 

She was an intelligent child indeed. Away from the claws of those demons, she would only flourish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank aristania for the lovely drawing of the [fishing trip](http://sawien.tumblr.com/post/80540562600/this-is-a-fanart-for-a-thorki-story-called-billion)! It's done in Sigyn's perspective which is an absolutely brilliant take on it! Thank you! If there's anyone else out there that wouldn't mind doing one you have my eternal thanks.
> 
> My Tumblr (I don't bite, I promise!): [mztwilson.tumblr.com.](http://mztwilson.tumblr.com/)


	25. Camping: Saturday (Late Morning)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part four of five of the camping trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad you gals and guys weren't spooked off by the last chapter, so I hope this one will be a sweet treat of sorts for hanging through it. This is mainly from Thor's POV but there's some Loki sprinkled around in there. If you spot any errors, please let me know so I can fix it. Comments make the author very happy but they aren't necessary for me to continue. Enjoy!

“I am not above giving credit where credit is due.” Loki said, walking into the commons area with Sigyn.

Thor was already showered and dressed, donning a gray long-sleeve with light cargo pants and his boots from the day before. He grinned, “Warm shower, no bugs?”

Sigyn beamed. “It was so fun! Can we take more?”

“Only here and not without my supervision. They don’t have tubs so you are in luck as long as we are here.”

Sigyn pouted at her mother. “Okay.”

Thor hoisted up the bag after Loki stashed his and Sigyn’s dirty clothes in one of the slots. He held his hand out to the small girl. “Shall we?”

Sigyn slipped her hand in Thor’s much larger one and she hooked the other one in her mother’s hand and they were off.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

They had been walking for quite some time and Loki was finding that he was slowly running out of breath. This damn pregnancy was hitting him much faster than it did when he was in the beginning stages of carrying Sigyn, who was walking alongside him with a bounce in her step, Thor doing much the same - neither of them looked like they were going to pass out (so he was exaggerating, what of it?) like Loki felt he was.

He stopped and leaned up against a tree near the trail.

“Mommy?”

“Loki? Are you well?” 

Both daughter and lover looked highly concerned.

“Fine,” he panted. “I just need a few moments.”

Thor fished a bottle of water out of one of the holders of the bag and handed it to Loki, who drank from it like it was his salvation. Maybe it was a bad idea to have Loki walking so much in his developing condition.

“Is this too much for you? Should we head back to camp?”

“No, I will be fine. I just need a moment’s rest.” Loki cringed internally, if he was this bad he could only imagine what Thor would be like a few months down the road.

The blonde didn’t look all that convinced but he entertained Sigyn with a few small stories until Loki felt ready enough to continue. The typical forest around them was giving way to a few small clearings that were designed to host campers and wildlife was beginning to appear. 

The butterflies and colorful birds made Sigyn giggle and chase after them, coming back when she was called by either Thor or Loki when she went too far out. After a while she gave up her chasing to settle back in between the two men, looking up at Thor and smiling before turning to flash one at her mother. The excitement on her face morphed into a combination of horror and curiosity and it put Loki on edge instantly.

“Mommy?”

“What’s that matter, darling?”

“What’s that thing crawling on your back?”

Loki froze immediately, alarm drenching over him like the water of the shower he had taken earlier. He didn’t bother to turn his head, moving his eyes as far to the left as he could to look at Thor, his panic rising at the slow lifting of his eyebrows.

“What is it?!”

“Oh! I see what it is now. It’s a spider! A really big one!” Sigyn answered.

“It’s rare for tarantulas to be in New York, looks like you found one.”

How could Thor sound so calm when Loki was screaming on the inside? This was exactly what he had feared would happen!

“Don’t just stand there! Get it off of me!” Loki hissed.

“I haven’t seen one that big in ages.” Thor commented, “It’s a little bigger than the average saucer.”

“Get it off of me!!!”

His outburst must have startled it into moving causing Sigyn to gasp and duck behind Thor. He could actually _feel_ it scampering around on his back. Thor stepped forward and reached behind him, seconds passing by before he pulled back, the large monstrosity crawling slowly up his thick forearm. Once he was free, Loki darted away and stared at it with wide eyes. It took up a good chunk of Thor’s forearm, and that thing was on his back only moments earlier!

Thor walked past the edge of the trail into the forest, his gait lazy as if he was taking a mere stroll instead of harboring a large arachnid on his arm, and bent down, easing the creature off his arm to the ground and watched as it scurried off. He rejoined them and they were off again - he couldn’t help but notice how those sharp green eyes darted around constantly, scoping the environment around them.

He reached over and gave the slim shoulder a firm squeeze. “There’s no need to fret, Loki. I’m sure the spider’s appearance was just an unfortunate coincidence.”

The look Loki gave him was highly skeptical, but the shoulder in his grip loosened ever so slightly and the brunette gave him a firm nod.

“Where are we headed exactly?”

“There are quite a few historical sites here. I’ve only seen them in passing with Balder since they held little interest to me but I hope they will make up for having dragged you out here in the first place...and for the incident that just occurred.” 

Thor could see Loki’s mood improve drastically. “Mh, we’ll have to see then.” Of course he was going to act nonchalant about it. Thor couldn’t fight the fond smile that threatened to take over his face.

“We shall.”

Thor knew he had made the correct choice as soon as they reached the first site, the Croton Brick Yard - first founded in the nineteenth century (that’s all Thor learned, he was too busy watching Loki and Sigyn absorb the information on the plaque). The growing wonder in both sets of green - one more subtle than the other - as they continued to the old excavation site, the Underhill Brick Yard, and the Schoolhouse District made Thor’s heart to soar and his resolve to protect them both from Laufey and kin strengthen that much more. 

They stopped for a mid-morning snack before Thor led them to the trail that would guide them back to their campsite. He could already feel the dense humidity in the air and the cooling atmosphere as they forged on to the last stop he had planned; soon all three of them could hear the sounds of water splashing with a heavy force and the two brunettes looked around in anticipation. 

The two gasped and Thor smiled when the source was finally revealed. A [stoned structure](http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/0/9/0/3/ar128737058830902.JPG) gave way to a bridge the further up you looked, water spilling from it and the rock layers below the bridge. There were very few people that milled about and the trio went unnoticed as they approached the fence that protected visitors from getting too close.

“Wow.” Sigyn breathed, climbing onto the fence to get an unblocked view.

Loki shot her a disapproving glance and opened his mouth to tell her to get down, only to be waved off by Thor, who easily hauled the girl upon his large shoulders. Thor jumped when he heard a small tick, looking over just in time to see Loki bring the disposable camera down.

“You brought the camera? Excellent!” Thor waved at an elderly pair of friends passing by who grinned and waved back, he could practically feel Loki rolling his eyes at him. “Would you mind doing a quick favor, my ladies?”

The two women came over, smiling at the three of them. “What would you like, handsome?”

Thor grinned. “Could I trouble one of you ladies to take a picture of us? Thor.” He kept a firm grip on Sigyn’s knee and held out his hand.

“Alma.” The woman who had been the one to speak said, giggling madly when Thor kissed the hand she offered.

“Cathleen.” The other woman was no better, a blush scattering across her wrinkled face.

“This is Sigyn and this is Loki.” Sigyn waved and Loki offered the women as friendly of a nod as he was capable of.

“She is adorable.”

Sigyn beamed.

“Quite.” Thor agreed. “Would you mind snapping a picture?”

Alma took the camera from Loki and stepped back several paces. Thor wrapped his free arm around Loki’s waist and pulled him flush against his side, the smaller man relaxing only when the two women didn’t bat an eye at the obvious implication of Thor’s gesture. Good, he was learning.

“Ready?” Alma asked.

They nodded, two bright grins flashed at the camera and one small smile focused on them fondly when the tick went off.

“Could we perhaps have a picture with you? It would make great vacation pictures!” Cathleen gushed.

Thor looked at Loki for confirmation and received a shrug in return. It was good enough. “Of course.”

Alma handed the camera back to Loki and Thor placed Sigyn back on the ground. Loki and Sigyn stepped out of the way as Alma and Cathleen each took a spot beside Thor, the blonde towering over them significantly. Cathleen gave her digital camera to Loki, who made the necessary alterations to the frame before taking the photo - capturing the image of Thor’s large arms wrapped around the two grinning ladies.

“You too?” Alma directed towards Loki.

“My apologies, ladies, but I’ll have to pass.”

“The little one then?”

Sigyn gasped and looked up at her mother. “Can I? Please?”

Thor could see the gears churning in Loki’s head. “What harm could it do?”

“F-fine.” Loki gave them a curt nod.

Sigyn darted over and took Thor’s place, Alma and Cathleen bending gracefully down to her level. Loki sighed and positioned the camera, and at the last moment she stuck her tongue out and made a funny face. Loki shook his head and Thor chuckled heartily at her antics; the older women gushed over the photo taken with Sigyn and they pinched her cheeks in true grandmother fashion.

“Thank you, Miss Alma, Miss Cathleen. We must be going back to camp.”

“No problem! It was nice meeting you.” Alma said.

“And you boys’ daughter is quite lovely.” Cathleen smiled at the two men.

The women waved at them before departing, leaving a stunned Thor and a pensive Loki. A small growl made both of them jump and look down at Sigyn, who gave them a sheepish look.

“I’m hungry.”

“We just ate not an hour ago.” Loki said.

“Tell me Syn, how does your tummy feel about s'mores?”

The rumble Thor received was answer enough.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“You know, you’re spoiling her rotten.”

Thor turned from where he was watching Sigyn roast her marshmallows like he had taught her to give Loki his undivided attention.

“You call it spoiling, I call it treating.” Thor winked. “She’s enjoying herself.”

“I’ve never seen her quite like this. She hasn’t been this carefree in such a long time, I was beginning to wonder what happened to her.” Thor swallowed the lump in his throat at Loki’s words, his mind going back to what Sigyn had told him earlier that day. “I guess she just felt cooped up in our home. This trip has done wonders for her.”

Thor took Loki’s slender hand in his and gave it a light squeeze. “I’m glad to have been of help.”

“And the women from earlier...”

Thor tensed. “Do you...do you have a problem with what she said?”

Loki stared at him intensely. “The better question is: do you?”

Thor didn’t miss a beat. “No, I do not.”

Loki closed his eyes. “Why? Why are you doing this?”

He was confused. “What exactly?”

“I understand you taking a general interest because of the child I carry, but why do you care beyond that? Why bother with this camping trip, why didn’t you just pick a place in the city that was some family establishment? Why get this hands on with Sigyn?” Loki took a deep, shuddering breath. “Why did you take those two chances at the Valhalla with me in the first place?”

Thor gave him a rueful smile. “I don’t think you’re quite ready for the answer to those questions yet, Loki.”

Loki shook his head and looked over at Sigyn, who was now fiddling with the box of graham crackers and a bar of chocolate. Thor used his free hand to turn Loki’s attention back to him before leaning in for a quick, but deep kiss.

“So, what are we going to do after this?” asked Sigyn, taking a bite out of her treat.

Thor eyed the position of the sun, he surmised that it was a little after noon. “I believe a quick nap is in order. Afterwards we can go catch dinner.”

Sigyn beamed and Thor caught the cringed on Loki’s face at her chocolate coated teeth. “We’re going fishing again?”

“Absolutely. Maybe your mother will even join us this time.” Thor could feel the hot glare boring into the side of his face, he met it with a smile. “Right, Loki?”

“Please, Mommy? You said tomorrow, which is today.”

“I said _perhaps_ tomorrow.” Loki corrected.

“Who knows when the next time we’ll be out here again? Won’t you at least try?” Thor pressed.

Loki looked back and forth between the two before relenting. “Fine. But I will not touch a worm or fish and you can’t force me to like it.” He yawned. “But first, that nap.”


	26. Camping: The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 5 of 5 of the camping trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 100 subscribers?! You guys are way too awesome for me to handle! If you spot any mistakes, please let me know so I can fix them. Comments aren't necessary but they make the author very happy. I'm really proud of this chapter and I hope you like it too. Enjoy!

Thor slowed down the process of putting the pole together and getting it casting-ready just like he had done with Sigyn; Loki felt mildly insulted that he was being spoon fed the instructions like a child but in the same breath he realized that a child _did_ indeed know more about this than he did, especially considering that Sigyn was already in the water.

Loki winced when Thor bit down on the bits of lead to snap them shut - that mouth and those lips had been on his just two hours before, and he cringed when Thor dug out a worm, the twenty four hours it spent in the container did nothing to thwart its fight when Thor impaled its body on and around the hook three times - those were the hands that traveled along his body in moments of passion and those were the fingers that had been inside him many times in preparation of better things to come. It was going to take some time for Loki to allow those hands anywhere near his ass again.

Then Thor tried to teach him to cast out - Loki catching onto several tree limbs, flicking his worm off twice even when Thor had secured them on tightly, and accidentally throwing off the top part of the pole before he successfully managed a good enough cast into the water. Red in the face from their laughter, Thor and Sigyn took a place on either side of him and a peaceful quiet descended amongst them.

An hour and a half later and Thor had snagged five fish and Sigyn had three to her name. Loki remained at zero, thinking that this whole thing was a complete waste of the time that he could have spent doing something productive for his mind.

Loki huffed, kicking his feet idly; sure, he loved moments like these but he wasn’t used to just staring at the water, he usually had a stimulating book to read. He sighed, glancing out of the corner of his eye to find that both his daughter and lover were perfectly still, their concentration locked firmly on their lines. He took in a deep breath and just as he was about to release it...

“You know Loki,” Thor began, “I thought that if anyone would have a patience problem, it would have been Syn, not you.”

Loki sniffed. “I do not have a problem with patience.”

“You’re going to scare the fishies away if you keep up with your sighing, Mommy. No wonder you don’t have any.”

“I agree, Syn.” Thor tossed number six into the bucket with the others.

Loki looked affronted. “I’ll have you know that I could have easily decided to opt out of this, so you both will accept my complaining - be it verbal or non-ver -” Loki jumped when he felt an energetic tug, his pole dipping considerably.

“Oh dear, what do I do? What do I do?” Loki was close to just dropping the pole and making a run for it. He felt a presence behind him immediately, a strong hand pressing into his side.

“For starters, don’t panic. Tug the pole and start reeling before it gets free. Try to stand.”

Loki did as he was told, standing up as he tugged and begin to reel in offhandedly.

“Faster. Get a better grip on your reel.”

Loki could feel an unexpected rush of adrenaline when he got his first glimpse the rather large fish that splashed above the surface.

“Another rare find this far up, at least this close to shore. A [striped bass](http://www.capelinks.com/images/photo-gallery/fishing/striped-bass.JPG).” He could hear the grin in Thor’s voice. “You have a fighter.” The blonde came behind him to help pull.

“Go, Mommy, go!” Sigyn had reeled in her own line just to watch her mother.

With one last joint tug on the line the fish was now on the dock, and before Thor could move Loki had imitated what he’d seen him do the previous day, planting a boot on the sizeable body and retrieving his hook. Despite his earlier protests against such an act, he hauled it up with a grunt and the squirming mass took up a great chunk of his embrace. He gave them both a smug grin, earning a roll of the eye from each.

Thor stepped up to him. “You have done well for your first catch, Loki.”

“Better than your first, I presume?”

Thor responded with a hearty laugh. “Mine was a bit bigger,” he winked, leaning down to kiss the rare, wide smile on Loki’s face, Loki automatically responding in kind.

They didn’t hear the small _tick_ of the camera Sigyn smuggled in her pocket, she beamed as she slipped it back where she had it.

 

\-------------------

 

They stuck around until dusk before officially calling it quits, adding quite a few more to their total and Thor even convinced Loki to hook his own worm (with disastrous results). Loki’s first catch alone was enough to fill even Thor up, but none was left when they were finished with it. Thor dressed the rest and put them in the ice cooler for tomorrow morning and to put in the special section of his freezer at home for the lunch at his parents’ next Sunday. 

Even with the nap from earlier, Sigyn was out within half an hour after being wiped down after their dinner, her snores alerting them to just how tired she must have been; Thor eased her from Loki’s grip and settled her into the tent, both men stifling laughter when they could still be heard from the fire. Loki noticed Thor’s eyes darting around, his fingers moving incessantly - he was nervous.

“Thor?”

The man started, fixing those ingenious cerulean eyes on Loki, such a harsh contrast to the steel blue that surfaced in the barely controlled rage he saw in reaction to his confession yesterday eve.

“I find that even my mind is sated after today’s excursions, yet you are troubled.”

A flicker of guilt reflected on Thor’s face before he open his arms. Loki frowned.

“Indulge me.”

With a heavy sigh Loki did, allowing Thor to ease him into his lap. He relaxed as he was enclosed in the larger man’s arms.

“I-I do not know how best to word this, so I will just come out and ask. Hear me out, will you?”

Loki’s frown reappeared. “Thor?”

“I - I need you to come live with me, Loki. I -”

Loki made a move to scramble out of Thor’s lap, only to have those arms tighten around him just enough to let him know escape was futile, but not in a way that Loki would feel threatened.

“I knew this would happen! I bear my weakness to you once and you’re ready to bring out the shining armor and white horse!”

“Loki-”

“No.”

“Loki-”

“I’m quite fine in my current residence. Thank you very much!”

“But Sigyn is not.”

Loki froze, turning just enough to lock Thor in a narrowed gaze. “Excuse me?”

Thor squeezed his eyes shut, he hated to betray the young girl’s confidence in him, but this would be in her and Loki’s best interests. He told Loki everything Sigyn had told him, watching as the offended look on Loki’s face turned to confusion then to horror and then to sheer anguish as Thor finished, those pale fingers pulling at the dark, shoulder-length curls in frustration and helplessness.

Loki didn’t realize he was crying until Thor’s hand found its familiar place on his neck, guiding his face in between the juncture of his strong neck and shoulder. He kept as quiet as he could so he wouldn’t disturb Sigyn, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs - he’s done this more times in the last 48 hours than he’s done since he was finally able to escape from under his father’s roof.

Thor could feel his own eyes misting up and he tried his best to soothe the pain he could feel radiating off the brunette. “Loki, please. Will you come with me now, Loki?” He felt an unspeakable relief flood through him when he felt the jerky nod of Loki’s head. It took a while longer before Loki was able to somewhat compose himself.

“Angie.”

“Mh?”

“I saw the car pull up and Helblindi was the only one that got out. I told her to take Sigyn to her room because he had come to check up on my progress in the study. I didn’t even know Byleistr was there! Angie was supposed to be watching her! Where was she?”

Thor couldn’t believe it. Angrboda had appeared to be an upstanding woman the two times they’d interacted, but for her to just disappear like that... “I think it may be best if contact with Angrboda is discontinued. 

“I-I can’t believe this! Trying to force their attentions on me is disgusting enough, but to turn to my angel...” A loose sob escaped from his lips. “Natasha had given me warning about Angie. They told me! They all told me I was going to be a terrible parent and I thought to prove them wrong and I did just the opposite. My daughter -”

Thor gripped his chin firmly and looked him dead in his tormented eyes. “Do not. _Do. Not._ That girl in that tent is one of the brightest and strongest people I’ve ever met and she is nowhere near even half the age of the people I know. You’ve done well, it’s not your fault that your brothers are sick and demented. You’re an amazing parent and I am beyond honored that you are carrying my child.”

The hand that wasn’t holding his face was trailed over to his stomach and what he felt gave him pause. “Loki?”

Loki sniffled and wiped at his eyes. “It is uncommon to show within the first two to six weeks, but it is not impossible, especially since this isn’t my first pregnancy. Me with child period is uncommon really.”

Thor sat transfixed as his hand smoothed over Loki’s stomach, it wasn’t enough to be called a bump, but his hand met a resistance that hadn’t been there previously.

Loki gazed out into the wilderness. “Any more bright ideas for tomorrow?”

Thor shook his head. “I had originally planned for you to see the other half of the park and have a swim but the sooner we leave the sooner I can get you three out of that house.”

“Four.”

Thor’s eyes widened. “Four?”

Loki gave him a weak smile. “If you think I’m leaving my dog behind you are sadly mistaken, Thor.”

“I’m not sure the flat allows pets but I’m sure I can convince the owner of the building otherwise.”

“And how would you do that? A bright smile? Your infinite charm? A flick of your golden mane?”

Thor chuckled, thankful for the slowly lightening mood. “I’m afraid not. However, money talks.”

“And fools listen.”

“See? We’ll have Bragi there in no time. I find that I owe him for his heroics in protecting you two.”

“I don’t think he’ll take too kindly to you trying to take that job from him.”

“I’m sure we can work out some type of agreement.” Thor smiled. “Loki?”

Loki turned back to face him, only to be pulled into a kiss in which he desperately returned.

“I love you.” Thor whispered, bringing their foreheads together. “You need not say it back but I just had to tell you.”

Did Loki feel the same? He thought about a life without Thor: without his sometimes irritating, but endearing amount of optimism, without the smile and shining eyes that bordered on innocent, without his easy ability to interact with and charm all those around him, without the intelligence in his eye that didn’t quite match his own but was much more apparent than people (admittedly himself in the beginning) gave him credit for at times, without the way he fucked or made love to him (he would forever be disappointed in both size and performance should they ever part), and without the looks and touches sent his way with an obvious amount affection that he tried to reel in for Loki’s sake. It was simply a world he didn’t wish to inhabit, he realized.

“I love you, too.”

Those blue eyes brightened exponentially. “Truly?”

“Truly.” Loki confirmed.

The kiss they shared next seared with love and poorly restrained passion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Striped bass can actually be as big as a person, or so I've seen. I went for a size that I'm sure Loki could have handled.
> 
> [mztwilson.tumblr.com](http://mztwilson.tumblr.com)


	27. Back to Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The deadline, the move, and another heart to heart between Balder & Thor and Thor & Loki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting back on track with the plot. If you spot anything amiss let me know so I can fix it. Comments brighten the author's day but aren't necessary for her to continue. Enjoy!

Thor’s gaze flicked to the rearview mirror again, checking on the two figures in the back seat. Ever since he had told Loki what he had heard from Sigyn the brunette had clung to the girl in both sleep and consciousness, and she was currently in his lap, her head resting on his shoulder as his spindly arms held her tight.

“We’ll grab your immediate things today and come back for anything else you would like another time.”

“Are we really going to stay with Thor, Mommy? You said yes?”

Both men could hear the hope that was clear in her voice.

“Yes, darling.” Loki confirmed.

If her eyes and smile got any brighter she would put the sun to shame. It did both their hearts good to see her so happy in the face of such a large change in her young life.

“Bragi’s coming too, right?”

“Of course.” Thor replied, he could already imagine the battle between him and the older woman that owned the building.

There was still quite a bit of room left in the back of the SUV so Thor decided to stop a Loki’s first; they climbed out of the vehicle, Loki and Sigyn leading the way while Thor stuck behind them. There was a note taped on the front door and Loki felt his heart sink at the familiar scrawl of his name attached to it. He peeled it off before unlocking the door and ushering Sigyn inside.

“We have a limited amount of space so pick out what is essential to you, I’ll be up to check what you have in just a few moments.”

“Yes, Mommy.” Sigyn raced up the stairs. They heard her greet Bragi and the responding bark she got in return.

Loki opened the note.

_Change of plans. The Tesseract is to be finished by this coming Wednesday. I will be expecting it when I arrive._

“Loki? What does it say?” Thor looked over Loki’s shoulder, expression darkening before becoming oddly curious. “What is this Tesseract?”

“The project I’ve been telling you about. There’s no way I can have it complete at this time. It’s taken years to get it where it is now and he expects it to be done in three days!”

“Loki, you do not have to do a thing. You will not be here remember?”

“He will find me! I know he will!”

“Loki,” Thor took Loki’s face in his hands. “Do you trust me?”

Loki nodded hesitantly.

“Do you trust me?” Thor repeated, such a gesture was not solid enough to convince him.

“With my life and more importantly, that of my daughter’s.”

“All of your lives are equally important, Loki.” Thor corrected. “Go upstairs and collect your things. We will work this out, I promise.” Thor gave him a peck on the lips before letting him go.

Loki went up the stairs to his bedroom, Thor trailing close behind him before breaking off to where Loki pointed out the room Sigyn was in. It took a while but he was able to pack a sufficient amount of clothing and books. He moved on to his study, his eyes widening at the implications of this move just as Thor poked his head in.

“There you are, I thought you had disappeared. Sigyn is packed and ready. I believe that I have passed Bragi’s test, I wasn’t bitten on sight.”

“Mh.”

“What troubles you, Loki?” Thor asked, moving into the room, blue eyes taking in the scholarly environment.

Loki made quick work of moving the bookshelf, Thor’s eyebrows raising as the entrance to his secret room was revealed. Loki flicked on the lights, moving inside with Thor close behind.

There it was, still humming with energy.

“Is this - is this the project you mentioned?”

“Yes, the Tesseract.”

“What does it do?” Thor stepped up to it next to Loki, the blue hue from the glow flickering off both pale and golden skin.

“In layman's terms, it creates a virtual reality that you can interact with. It isn’t stable but I had hoped to change that.”

“Had?”

Loki went on like he hadn’t heard him, increasingly lost in thought. “I shouldn’t leave the Tesseract here any longer. It needs to be moved to a stable environment. Well, without the funding I wouldn’t know the first thing to do with it, but I know I can’t leave it for my father to retrieve,” he mumbled to himself.

“We could have it transported to Marvel. Stark and Banner would love to assist you with it in any way.” Thor’s eyes lit up. “Could I....could I see it? How it works?”

Loki shook his head. “I haven’t figured out how to balance the effect of different masses on it. It lacks true stability. I don’t want to cause harm to you or damage what little balance it holds.”

“If you would allow me, I could call Stark and have his team transport it under your guidance. You may not get along with him at first but I assure you that you will find no better partners than both he and Banner. They could prove helpful in stabilizing it.”

“You’re suggesting that I work on this at your company? And what is to become of it once it’s been - or if it ever is - completed in your labs?”

“It’s not like that Loki and you know it. I have more money than I will ever know what to do with. I would not seek to make profit off of you. I want you to be happy and I can tell by how you look at this that it would cause you great pain to have to stop working on this after how much time and effort you have put into it.”

Loki turned to give him a long look before giving him a curt nod. “I allow you.”

Thor took out his Stark Phone immediately.

“What’s up, blondie? How’d the trip go?”

“Stark, I need the assistance of you and your science brother, your team as well. You are needed to help transport a very sensitive piece of technology.”

“Sensitive technology you say? Give me the address and we’ll be there faster than you can go through a meal at Bareburger, big guy.”

By the time they loaded Loki’s and Sigyn’s bags in the car, a vehicle that looked like an odd combination of a moving van and surveillance van pulled up, Tony hopping out of the passenger’s side before it even slowed to a stop. Bruce slipped out right after him once it was safe and Thor fought down a wince when he saw Balder climb out of the driver’s seat; the back opened and out came a few assistants.

“Balder? I hadn’t been expecting you.” Thor frowned as his brother approached.

“I was at Stark’s when you called him. You go on a camping trip and the next thing I know you’re asking to move tech.” His eyes crossed over to where Loki was leading the way into his now former home. “Should have known it had something to do with him.”

“Balder...”

“It’s amazing how he’s pregnant and now he’s moving his work to Marvel. He’s got you wrapped around his little finger, Brother. And I recently found out that he’s Laufey’s kid, I didn’t give you that pager for nothing, Thor. You’ve been cavorting with the enemy-”

“He informed me of such himself, Brother! He’s told me some of the things those monsters have done to him! I refuse to stand by while the he and Sigyn are terrorized by them. I will not have my child surrounded in such an environment, because I’ve felt him or her, Balder. He or she is real and growing inside of Loki. I know that you worry for me but I will not stand idle while you demonize a man - a love of mine - that does not deserve it.” Thor took a deep breath, his gaze fierce on his brother. “If you want to demonize someone, let it be Laufey. I will not rest until both he and his devils have paid in full for what they have done to them or what they are trying to pull on us.”

Balder nodded and flexed his jaw, his eyes fixed on the slow progress of whatever was being carried out of the house.

“They’ve done things, Balder.” Thor reiterated. “Although I have no right to ask this of you, but I would beseech your aid in this. They are in danger and I would protect them with my life should it come to that.”

Balder ground his teeth and sniffed. “What is going on here?”

“I told you that they are in danger, they are coming with me. He has threatened their lives. No matter how you feel about Loki, his daughter is strictly innocent in this. Do this for her, for me, or for the company if it boils down to it.”

“What do you need me to do?”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Loki eased onto the bed and sighed, his eyes closing. “I’m barely a month in and I’m already tired and sore.”

They had spent the better part of the day getting Loki and Sigyn settled in and tying loose ends - call it Thor having his ear twisted at impossible angles while the old widow Mrs. White chastised him mightily for bringing a dog on the premises, though the moment she spotted Sigyn the Bragi situation had been forgotten in favor of gushing over her and pinching her pudgy cheeks.

Thor propped himself up on his elbow next to him. “I have a jacuzzi tub. Would you like me to run you a bath?”

“Jacuzzi you say?”

Thor grinned, somewhat sheepishly. “Could you imagine a man of my stature squeezing into the average bathtub?”

“Or the average bed.”

“Loki.”

“Yes, I would appreciate that greatly.”

“Would you like some company?”

“What of my daughter?”

“In the living room with the others. She is proving to be quite the lady, everyone she meets seem to adore her. Balder is quickly warming up to her and even Bruce appears to be quite taken by her.”

“Her personality is one of the rare things I’m glad she didn’t inherit from me. She has such optimism and happiness inside her, I would loathe to hold her back in such a way.”

“She is you before years of being exposed to Laufey.”

“And pray tell, just how are you able to infer such a thing when you know a limited amount about me?”

“I saw it in your body language when we took that picture by the waterfalls. I saw it in the way your face shone when you captured that fish yesterday. I saw it in your eyes when you told me you loved me.”

“Thor...”

Thor nuzzled his jaw before pushing himself up. “I shall return shortly.”

Loki watched Thor disappear into the connected bathroom. Today was just one of many steps that would need to be taken to protect his daughter and unborn child and finally break free of Laufey and his horde. What exactly are they going to do in regards to Laufey? Would he be included in any of the plans they made? What of Angrboda? Just the thought of the woman spurred a surge of hatred he hadn’t felt towards someone outside of his family in a long time. Loki wasn’t above hitting women when they so surely deserved it but he was sure that the law disagreed with him. Actually, Natasha would be the perfect solution to that problem.

He squirmed on the bed a little, sighing as he relaxed into the softness of the mattress and the tame silk of the sheets... He sat up abruptly, pulling out his phone. He would need to call Natasha to tell her of the new turn his life had taken, but first things first... he needed to cut all ties with the Valhalla. He no longer needed to offer himself as physical entertainment, he felt a hint of sadness since he had been there for a few years, but he also felt an immense weight starting to lift from his shoulders as he dialed Saga’s number.


	28. Welcome to Marvel, Mr. Laufeyson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki's first day, Thor and Balder butt heads again, and some more suspicious activity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, finals are coming up! 10,000+ hits?! You all are killing me slowly! I went in and fixed the mistake in titles near the beginning - Thor is CEO and Tony is President. If you spot any errors, please let me know! Comments make the author very happy, but they aren't necessary for me to continue. Enjoy!

Leaving Sigyn and Bragi in Natasha’s ever so capable hands - the young girl would be going to the center anyway - Loki decided to take Thor up on his offer working on the Tesseract in Marvel’s laboratory. 

Loki had no idea what he was expecting when he walked into the lab of Marvel Industries, but he would admit to being impressed with what he saw - the amount of security it took to actually make it to the lab even if Thor was the CEO of the company made him feel better about leaving his life’s biggest project here. Thor stopped in the front of the doors and halted Loki’s progress forward.

“Stark is known for the odd miscalculation or two due to how excited he gets in the middle of his work.” Thor brushed the tips of his fingers across Loki’s abdomen. “I ask that you be careful, Loki.”

“I will be fine. _We_ will be fine.” Loki fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Don’t you have top management level things that require your attention, Mr. Odinson?”

Thor grinned and this time Loki did roll his eyes. “I quite like how you say that.”

“Thor, I’m sure you have work to do.”

Thor pouted, but stepped back, swiping his card and holding his hand up to be scanned. Thor, conscious of how Loki feels about blatant public displays of affection (he hopes to break him out of it in the future), gave Loki’s hand a quick squeeze before leaving, backing up and keeping Loki in sight until he reached the elevator. Loki gave him a terse wave before squeezing through the shutting doors of the lab.

People were scattered everywhere in your standard white get-up and lab coats, Loki sticking out like a sore thumb in his green and black as he used his height advantage to locate Stark or Banner.

“Lok-ster!” Loki cringed, it appears that Stark found him instead. “It’s about damn time.”

Much like Loki himself, Stark and Banner donned civilian clothes, Stark sauntering up to him while Banner fidgeted in the background.

“It’s just after 8 a.m., usually I would just be getting back home by now. You should count yourself lucky to have an ounce of my time at the moment.”

Stark pushed his sunglasses down. “Feisty in and out of bed-”

“I would mention that anywhere near Thor.”

Stark ignored Banner. “ _And_ that cube you have there is making brilliant progress for you having worked on it alone for all this time if the energy readings and capacity are anything to go by, which they are of course. I think I’m really gonna like you.”

“You should expect nothing less of me or my abilities. I’m here to see my ‘cube’.” Loki shifted the small stack of notes tucked under his arm. “Thor has informed me that you could be of some use.”

“Modest too, I see. Follow us Lok-master.”

“It is Loki.”

“Whatever you say, Lok-ness monster.”

Loki exhaled deeply. This was going to be a very trying day.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Thor stopped bouncing his leg for what had to be the hundredth time during this meeting. He, Balder, and Steve were seated at a round table in one of the meeting rooms, facing the large screen on the wall that flashed the face of the head coordinator who was overseeing the progress of the new tower in Beijing.

Balder’s tongue was poking out of the corner of his mouth, his brows furrowed as he jotted down notes quickly, Steve squinting at the figures on the sheets before him. Thor knows he should be paying more attention since at the end of this he would have to sign off on the tower’s construction contracts and checks, but lunch time was getting closer and closer and he was both ravenous and anxious to see Loki. The thought of his beloved down in the laboratories hard at work on the project he held so near and dear to his heart made him feel strangely giddy.

“Okay, I have quite a bit written down here but I’d like you to send me a master list of the materials, employees, etc. by lunch on your end tomorrow and I’ll send it your way Rogers to finalize the costs and figures.”

“We apologize for keeping you awake at such an unfortunate hour, Amadeus. You and your work are greatly appreciated.”

Amadeus gave Thor a curt nod. “It is of no consequence Mr. Odinson. Good day.”

“Good night.” The three blondes replied.

“I’m gonna get a head start with these costs.” Steve collected his numerous papers and files. “I’ll see you guys later.”

Balder waited for the door to close before he spoke. “Since I know you weren’t paying attention at all Brother, I’ll send you a short on the meeting. If Loki’s presence here is to become a distraction-”

“At this stage in time it is a novelty in having the love of my life both here during the day and in my arms at night that makes me excited. It’s something I will never take for granted but I will learn in time to reign it in.”

“If his presence is to be more permanent, he will need to go through Security and Customs. We can never be too careful.”

If you had told Thor a few months ago that he would find himself angry at his brother so many times in such a short period of time, he would have shook his head and chuckled at the outrageousness of such a thought. He was not in a joking or reflecting mood right now.

“I thought we had put the subject to rest. I understand the need to send him to S&C but why must you seek to demonize him, Brother? I would never spew such disrespect and distrust towards Idunn at every chance, why can’t you show me the same courtesy?”

“Her father isn’t a competitor who’s tried to break into our systems, she didn’t have a scorned lover who’s tried to attack me, and she didn’t come with enough baggage to fill an airport.”

Thor gave his brother a disgusted look and stood. “I don’t know what it will take to prove to you that Loki is no threat to myself, you, or this company and that he’s innocent in everything that has occurred. If I wanted perceived perfection then I would have entertained one amongst masses of men and women that call themselves prim and proper while trying everything in their power to undermine each other for my attention. I never said he was perfect, Brother, but he’s as close to it for me as Idunn is to you.”

He took a deep breath as he closed the door behind him. He needed to get to Loki. Now.

 

\-----------------

 

Thor was highly alarmed when he saw the numerous amount of coat-clad employees standing out in the corridor, black smoke pouring out of the lab entrance. The sprinklers hadn’t turned on and the only sign of alarm was the flashing lights but no sound - Stark had long since rigged the lab’s system to respond to the heat of an actual fire and the compounds that made up toxic fumes, otherwise, there would be regular evacuations traced back to his habit of pushing everything to its limit. Using the advantage of height, he began to feel the first stirrings of panic when he couldn’t spot a green and black cloaked pale figure amongst those standing.

“What’s going on here? What happened?” he bellowed over the noise of the crowd.

A resounding answer of “Stark” was the crowd’s response.

“We know it was him but we don’t know what happened yet, Mr. Odinson.” One of the employees closest to him supplied.

Just then three figures rushed out just as Volstagg and crew came down with several large industrial fans to help the smoke through the ventilation system faster. Thor nearly sagged with relief at the familiar lilted voice, he headed towards it.

“Stark, you _imbecile_! I specifically informed you that using a generator to tamper with the magnetic field would do this exact thing!”

“I was just testing all our avenues to help with stability!” Tony pouted as he pushed through the crowd. “It worked with _our_ cube!”

Thor stopped when he saw that they were making their way over to him. “Loki!”

“You had good reason to warn me about this lummox! How is he so ‘accomplished’ when he cannot even follow basic instructions?!”

Thor will worry about Tony later, right now his main focus was on his beloved. “Are you well? How much of the smoke did you breathe in? Should we take you a physician?”

“Thor, I’m fine! Just get me away from this idiot before I strike him with something.”

Tony gasped and placed a hand to his chest. “You wouldn’t dare harm my fragile person!” He turned to Thor nodded to him. “Sup, Blondie? Just your average Monday.”

“I was hoping that since there was a new presence that you would tone down your need to push limitations?”

“Why would I do that? Lok-ster here knew what he was doing, why hold back if he’s not a noob?”

Thor opened his mouth to reply but closed it in response to the emerald glare he was receiving. That’s right, Tony didn’t know of his condition and it would appear that Loki wanted it to stay that way.

“Come, shall we go to lunch?” he asked instead.

“Sounds like a terrific idea! All of this scientific advancement has left me hungry enough to eat a horse.” Tony rubbed his stomach as he pushed between Thor and Loki and strutted to the elevator.

Loki scowled. “‘Scientific advancement’? All you did was try to ruin years of my work.”

“And I was not speaking to you, Stark.”

Bruce shook his head and moved around them. “There’s no point in trying to fight it.”

Thor sighed, there goes his chance to have lunch with Loki alone. It could be worse, he shot a glance down at Loki’s abdomen as the elevator doors closed behind them. He would feel so much better if Loki were to see a doctor to make sure their child wasn’t affected by the heavy smoke.

Tony hit the button for the parking lot. “Next stop, the _Mehtaphor_! Mehta could use a couple of gorgeous billionaires in his restaurant.”

“You sure he wants to see you after you tried to dry hump him in the kitchen three cocktails into our last visit there?”

“An imbecile who can’t follow directions and can’t control his basic urges, quite the attributes you have, Stark. Gorgeous is stretching it for you, don’t you think?”

“Okay Lok-ster, I can see that you’re still angry over the whole generator thing so I’m gonna mark that down on the list as ‘words said in the heat of the moment but not truly meant.’ Thor here can lay on the old Odinson charm so I can schmooze right in and have some of that delicious lamb shank.”

The elevator opened to reveal the expansive underground parking garage, the parking spots for the executives were right at the front.

“Were you staying that I was gorgeous back there?” Thor teased as he and Loki climbed into Thor’s Dodge.

“You don’t need me to tell you that.” Loki fixed him with a look as they pulled out of the “CEO” parking space. “Though you are pleasing to the eye.”

Thor allowed himself to grin before eyeing Loki with concern. “Are you sure you are well? It would be no trouble to-”

“Thor, I understand that this is your first time as a parent but it isn’t for me. I will not waste the good doctor’s time for him to tell me what I already know. I assure you that I am fine.”

Thor sighed.

“Have there always been digs in your firewalls?”

Thor frowned. “Uh, no. Had there been anything amiss Stark, Banner, or my brother would have found it.” Thor looked over at him when they stopped at a red light. “What are you talking about?”

“I was pressing some of the data from my research in to process as notes and I noticed something amiss. I’ve only ever seen distortion as such from attempts to distract the target or gain information without being detected.”

“You mean that someone is trying to get through.”

“Yes.”

“As in tampering? Espionage?” Another one?

“Yes. And it appears that this person knows what they’re doing since your resident geniuses have yet to notice it.”

“But you did, or have.”

Loki gave him a bitter smile. “It’s a common practice of my father’s.”

Thor growled, pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant quicker than he should.

“I can help get rid of it if you give me the access required. It’s not an alarming threat as of now, it appears to be a few days old, but if you allow it to continue to work at your firewalls it will eventually get through them without anyone’s knowledge except you and I.” Loki’s lips quirked up at the expression on Thor’s face. “You have done much for Sigyn and me, it’s only right that I pay off my debt to you in some fashion.”

“You owe me nothing.”

“I owe you everything.” Loki shot back.

Their eyes locked together for a long moment.

Thor pressed a hand to Loki’s abdomen. “He or she _is_ everything, Loki.”

They jumped at the incessant knocking on the rear window.

“Let’s go! I’m starving!” Tony called out.

“I will converse with my brother on the morrow about it. I will not breach the subject with him while he is in one of his moods.”

“He’s not very fond of the bearer of his future niece or nephew.”

“It is through no fault of your own but that of James Barnes.” Thor squeezed his hand. “He _will_ come around, Loki.”

“Of course.” Loki unbuckled his seat belt and climbed out of the car without a backward glance.


	29. Truce & Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki's security clearance and first interaction with Balder without Thor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I try to update as much as possible but finals are approaching so it's going to be sporadic until after the 3rd so bear with me please. If you spot anything amiss, please let me know so I can fix it. Comments aren't necessary for me to keep writing but it makes the author very happy to have some type of feedback. Enjoy!

It wasn’t until Wednesday that Loki had returned to Marvel, sudden morning sickness springing upon him once again on Tuesday and after several trips back and forth he waved Thor off to go without him, with staunch directions that he tell _that idiot_ to stay away from the Tesseract.

Balder was waiting for them at the entrance of the Security department, his blue eyes focused solely on Loki. Thor braced himself for any jeer or comment shot his beloved’s way but all his brother said was, “Are you ready?”

Loki’s own emerald gaze met his dead-on. “Quite,” was his simple reply.

Balder opened the door for them, Thor urging Loki through the door first with a hand on his lower back.

“Thor! Coming to visit us poor peasants, are you?”

Loki watched as a very large (both height and width wise) man with his entire head nearly encompassed by the red hair covering both his scalp and face approached them.

Thor chuckled. “Even a king has to have his time with the commoners, Volstagg.”

The rambunctious laugh Thor received made Loki wince at the sheer volume of it.

“What can I do for you, friend?”

Balder stepped over to the other side of Loki. “Loki needs to be taken through Customs. We will be seeing more of him so he needs the appropriate clearance.”

“Loki?” Volstagg squinted at the pale man before holding his hand out. “Volstagg, m’boy.”

Loki cautiously took the heavy hand in his own and shook it.

“Right this way!” The hulking form turned and headed further into the department at a pace that surprised Loki for a man of his girth. They stopped in what appeared to be a lab.

“Your identification and social security card please.”

Loki dug in his pocket for his wallet, handing the cards over once he spotted them.

“Take a seat please.” Volstagg motioned to a chair that was similar to the one you would find in an examination room before leaving.

“Am I late?” They turned around to see Bruce slip into the room. “Tony was holding me up again. Oh, hey Loki. Missed you yesterday. Tony bugs me less when you’re around.”

“He’s the one you’re taking care of today, Banner.”

Bruce nodded to Balder and went over to the sink to wash his hands before collecting several instruments.

“Banner has an M.D. from Harvard. You are in good hands.” Thor assured when he saw the small frown on Loki’s face.

“Mh.”

“This isn’t my usual thing but Thor asked me to do this personally since we kinda interacted the other day and it gets me away from Tony for a while. A win-win in my book.” Bruce pulled on gloves and picked up a cotton swab. “Open up for me.”

Once he was done scraping the inside of Loki’s cheek, Loki spoke. “If he is such a disaster why keep him around?”

“I wouldn’t call him a disaster.” Bruce used a cleansing pad on one of Loki’s fingers before pricking it, squeezing to bring up a decent dot of blood. “He has what I call hazardous ambition.”

“Despite his jokes and manner he is a good friend of mine and has been since our schooling days.” Thor leaned against one of the walls. “He is brilliant and most helpful when he’s not in one of his moods.”

Balder rolled his eyes. “Which is about ninety-nine point nine percent of the time.”

After about half an hour prodding and close inspection, Bruce took the collected samples - Loki had given the brothers an odd look when he was asked to urinate in a provided container - and scurried out of the room with the promise of returning momentarily. Volstagg appeared about moment later with a console which he hooked up the main system on the right side of the room.

“Alright Loki, what I need you to do is come over here so we can scan your prints. Your corporate ID won’t be active until we get you into the system.”

“So what was all of that that I had just gone through?”

“Standard medical procedure. If something isn’t right then we veto the access. You’d be surprised at the lengths people will go to sabotage us.”

“And I just happened to fit the bill of someone oh so willing to corrupt?”

“Balder. Loki.” Thor sighed.

“We’re going to do the individual fingers and then the whole hand. Start on one side and slowly roll to the other.”

Starting with the thumb on his right hand, Loki did as instructed and went through each digit, the touch screen of the console storing the prints to the system. Once the scan of both his hands had been done, Volstagg went over to the main console and typed swiftly at the keyboards.

“Level of access?”

There was a short pause before Thor sighed again, his eyes flicking over to where his brother stood. He hadn’t forgot about Loki’s discovery on Monday, he needed the access to get rid of whatever was slowly eating at their digital security. “Four. Overall.”

“What?!” Balder looked at him like he had grown another head. “Are you serious? Volstagg, wait. Thor, we need to discuss this.” He dragged Thor all the way over to the other side of the room, speaking at a whisper. “Have you gone mad, Brother?”

“There is a bug in our systems that he knows how to get rid of. He needs the proper access to do it.”

“What bug?” Balder frowned. “I did a systems check before I came down here and found nothing.”

“That’s the thing. He’s found something that both you and Stark missed. How can you not see this as a good thing?”

“It could be a hoax.”

“He said it was a bug that his father has used in the past. I trust that he knows what he’s doing, there’s no room for doubt when it’s concerning Laufey.”

Balder looked ready to blow. “A bug his _father_ used in the past? It’s astounding how gullible you’ve become in such a short time! He could use that access to ruin the systems or make that ‘bug’ stronger! What the hell has gotten into you?”

Thor’s jaw tightened. “I trust that he knows best in this situation. If he was so dead-set on causing mischief he wouldn’t have told me of the problem in the first place. He will be at level four - should anything amiss happen you, Stark in certain areas, and I have the power to override him.”

“I can’t let you do this, Thor.”

Thor shook his head. “I never thought I’d have to do this Brother, but I guess there’s a first time for everything as they say.”

“And what is that?”

“I’m pulling rank.” Thor turned to see both Volstagg and Loki staring over at them from their positions on the far side of the room. “Four. Overall, Volstagg.”

“As you wish.” Volstagg went back to typing away. “All that’s left is for Banner to clear you then we can get you pictured and ready to go.”

“Okay guys,” speak of the devil. “Looks like everything’s clear and good to go.” Banner stated, flipping through a clipboard of papers. “If I’m not needed anymore I’ll leave these with Volstagg and head back down to the lab.”

“Great, his background check shows nothing disconcerting.” Volstagg took the clipboard. “Loki just stand over there and line your head up with the square and we’ll get a picture for your ID.”

“All of this was quick.”

“Call it Stark being impatient for Banner to be cleared and tampering with the system to find ways to speed up the process.”

Loki reluctantly stood as directed, photos were not a big thing for him - with the exception of last weekend he flat out hated them. Out the corner of his eye he saw Thor give him a bright grin and an unnecessary energetic wave once he noticed that Loki was looking and Loki couldn’t fight the quirk of his lips at such a Thor-like display.

Volstagg held a hand up to a slot just above a flashing green light and seconds later a newly pressed card slid out. He took it over to the desk in the corner and picked up a hole-punch, nicking the center at the top before shuffling through one of the drawers to take out a velcro neck strap which he hooked on to the card.

“Here you go, you’re all cleared.” Volstagg smiled. “If that’s all you need of me I’ll be on my way as well. Can’t have the youngsters running amuck around here.”

“You’re free to go. You have my thanks.”

When Loki took the card he saw exactly why Thor had done what he did, he had some semblance of a smile on his face in the photo. “Of course.” He shot a baleful look at Thor, who grinned again in return as he approached him.

Uncaring of his brother’s presence, Thor leaned down and pecked him on the lips. “Balder, would you escort Loki to Info Tech so he can sort out the problem?” Both brothers knew that was in no way a request.

Balder gave him a stiff nod.

“Good. I have a video conference in just a few minutes so I can’t take him myself.” Thor lowered his voice as he looked into Loki’s eyes. “If he gives you any sort of trouble, you know where my office is. Come find me. Or if necessary call me.”

“He’s your brother, surely-” Loki stopped, he knew personally that just because you share parents doesn’t automatically warrant any sort of loyalty or decorum. “Fine.”

“I mean it. Even if it’s in the middle of the conference. Your condition is my top priority.”

“I will.”

Thor leaned down for a proper kiss before shooting one last look at his brother and leaving.

“Follow me.” Balder left as well, Loki trailing right behind him.

 

\----------------

 

“How far along are you supposed to be?”

Loki paused from his work on the keyboard, he hadn’t been expecting Balder to properly acknowledge him in any way, let alone speak of something other than what he was doing. “A little over a month.” He continued typing.

“My brother said he felt it. How is that possible?”

Loki was quiet, appearing to only concentrate on what he was doing. He knew that Thor craved his brother’s acceptance of many things in his life just by the way he looked up to him (metaphorically of course, Balder was no midget but Thor towered easily over most people and was taller than even Loki himself), and despite what many people thought, Loki wasn’t a cruel man. He chose to respond in a way that wouldn’t aid in dividing the brothers’ relationship any further than his mere presence in Thor’s life seemed to do. He owed Thor that much and more.

“I was told that pregnancies after the first tend to show much faster, and some within the first or second month even. It’s not typically normal, but what about this whole situation is in the first place? It’s not much, but it’s there. That is all I will speak of it.”

 

“I can imagine that the first was quite the surprise for you and your ex-husband, huh?”

Loki gritted his teeth, eyes still trained on the screen in front of him. “Quite. Though I found out he ‘celebrated’ the news with one of the neighbor’s daughters who had recently come back from college for the holidays.”

Balder couldn’t stop the wince that appeared.

“I would have you feel as proof but I’m not one who is comfortable with near-strangers touching me without compensation.”

“You’re a whore.” It wasn’t a question. “I weaseled that bit of information from Stark.”

“ _Was_. I do not regret it for a moment.”

“It’s landed you a billionaire. I can’t imagine you would.”

“I did what was necessary to house and feed my daughter and myself. My father had made sure that I wouldn’t find income any other way.” He took a deep, calming breath. “In the beginning I had no plans to tell your brother, if I had stuck to that then I wouldn’t be here for you to despise. I had fully anticipated going through this one alone as well. I thought I would be raising this one alone too.”

“My brother would have been devastated. Although he’s attracted to both he prefers men to women and adopting just seems... out of place to him. Once he found you it was a done deal, you could see it in his eyes when speaks about you. You know, he’s never brushed off my attempts at reasoning until he met you. We seem to clash more now than we ever have.” Balder sighed. “You understand why I have my doubts about you?”

“Absolutely.”

“I’m willing to see just how things turn out. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt from here on out. But Loki,” Balder leaned forward in his chair beside Loki to give him a firm look. “Should you betray him or this company, after I make sure that that child is safely in his hands, I will make your life very difficult. Daughter or no daughter.”

Loki finished his work and leaned back in his chair. “Shall I instruct you on how to detect this type of bug in the future?”

Balder knew an acquiescence when it was presented before him. “You said your father implemented this?”

“Yes. A desperate man does desperate things when the shareholders get antsy.” Loki described the bug in full from its creation to its variations and how to stop them. He decided to leave out the part where he was the actual creator of the bug, it was just one of many things he had been forced to do under the iron fist that his father had on his life. He’d rather keep some of the things his father has had him do or has done himself over the years to himself.

Which was why he told no-one when he received that first text message later that day:

_Tsk, tsk. I’m disappointed in you, Loki. You know I’m not fond of no-shows._

He slipped the phone back in his pocket with a shaky hand and went back to jotting down notes on the Tesseract’s progress for today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	30. Frigga's Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dark undercurrents and excitement on Frigga's big day. Loki and Sigyn meet Frigga.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more week and I'm home free to update as often as I can! If you spot anything amiss please let me know so I can fix it. Comments aren't necessary but they make the author very happy. Enjoy!

“There.” James leaned back as the tall figure perched forward.

“Good. Should he not do as commanded then he will be retrieved.”

“Don’t hurt him.”

Laufey snorted and left the room, leaving James to stare at the blinking dot on the screen.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Two weeks.

That’s how long this has been going on.

It started off as simple text messages, ranging from ambiguous and confusing ( _Such a shame really._ ), to passive aggressive ( _Impromptu vacations are lovely, but they do not last forever._ ), to patronizing ( _Ignoring your father? I thought I raised you better than that, my son._ ), and finally to annoyance and anger ( _I will have that Tesseract immediately! Do not think I won’t find you!_ ). The voicemails were along the same lines as the messages.

Deep down Loki knew that he should stop reading the messages, stop listening to the voicemails but he just couldn’t help himself - he listened and scanned over everything, the fear in his heart becoming thicker and thicker the longer he continued to disobey his father. He had just gotten over his recent bout of sickness (it had never gone on this long when Sigyn was first starting to grow inside of him) when his phone buzzed.

He felt a cold wave wash over him as he stared at the most recent message.

_You have until Monday evening to deliver the project to me or I will send Helblindi to you._

An athletic wear clad Thor appeared in the doorway of their room, his hair pulled back in a tail. The muscles of his arms and legs were tantalizingly on sweat-sheened display. “Loki-” Thor frowned. “Loki, are you well?”

Loki just couldn’t bring himself to enjoy such a sight after what he read; he immediately pocketed the phone. “Another bout of morning sickness. I’m fine. ”

He garnered Thor’s sympathy for only a moment before he strode forth, his large hand pressing to Loki’s lower back. “I have seen you after your sickness, I’ve seen you both annoyed and tired but never fearful. What is wrong?”

“I’ve never been sick for this long with Sigyn and I am simply worried-”

“Was it someone on the phone just now?”

“Thor, it’s nothing.” Loki broke away from him. “I refuse to discuss it any further.”

Thor looked at him, then down to the pocket where he slid the phone. “Loki,” he started hesitantly, “if there’s anyone else-”

“You would think so ill of me?” Loki glared at him. “For heaven’s sake Thor, while I carry your child?!”

“You leave me in the dark, Loki.” Thor shot back. “You’ve distanced yourself from me and when I do see you, you do like you’ve done just now - you hide your phone away and scavenge up an excuse to be somewhere I’m not.” He looked hurt now. “If that is not the cause then what is?” There was that hand cupped around his neck, Thor’s thumb tracing his jaw. “Loki, you looked terrified. You know I only seek to protect you. Sigyn and this child as well. How can I do that when you won’t talk to me?”

Loki bit his lip and looked away.

“Let me see the phone, Loki.” His voice was deceptively soft.

“Thor-”

“Loki,” Thor pressed a kiss to his temple. “Let me see the phone.”

Loki took a deep breath and shoved his hand in his pocket, typing in the password before sliding the phone in Thor’s outstretched hand. He hadn’t exited out of the messenger and he watched as Thor’s eyes scanned the line - he then appeared to be scrolling through all the other messages his father had sent him, his expression carefully blank.

“You’ve kept this from me all this time? This situation could have been easily resolved with a simple change of phone and number. He’s had the time to track this.” He held up his hand when Loki opened his mouth to speak. “You look beautiful and I’m sure Sigyn does as well. Write down any numbers you have need of while I’m in the shower. Mother is expecting our arrival today.”

Oh, that’s right. It was Thor’s Mother’s birthday today and the celebration was being held in his parents’ backyard. Loki had forgotten in is sudden fit of terror.

Thor placed another kiss to his temple before he entered the adjoining bathroom. Thor’s reaction to this was another thing that worried Loki. He had been quick to barely restrained anger at Loki’s recounting of the things his father had done to him, but now that he had the proof staring him in the eye he was calm. Eerily so. 

It was quiet rage, Loki soon realized. He didn’t want to think about it anymore, so instead he searched for paper and pencil.

 

\-----------------

 

Loki was quiet as Thor drove them to his parents’ home, the blonde chatting easily with his daughter in the back. She had taken to the new home and new presence in her everyday life beautifully. Her rapidly increasing attachment would be alarming had it been anyone else but Thor; on some level he could understand it, she has a real father figure for the first time in her short life and she was gravitating towards the ideal fiercely. 

She had even gone through a small phase where she actually _hesitated_ to do some of the things Loki asked - a week prior she had been playing with a few of her newly bought toys (courtesy of Thor, of course) just before bed, Loki told her it was time to put them away she had opened her mouth to argue, yes _argue_ , when she caught the look the bigger of the two men was giving her and did as she was told, albeit with a small pout that was easily remedied by the reading of one of her favorite books. She hadn’t done anything like it since, but it was enough knock Loki off-kilter.

Loki frowned.

“What’s wrong, Mommy?”

He forced the frown away. “Lost in thought, darling. I’m fine.”

Thor opened his mouth to speak, most likely to call him out on his bluff, but Loki quickly cut in.

“You have a gift for her and I see that Sigyn has a gift for her as well, I realize I don’t have one.”

Sigyn wrinkled her brows. “I thought you said Mommy had a gift too, Thor.”

“I did and he does.” There were many cars parked along the streets, but there was a space left open in the driveway, no doubt Thor’s mother left it as such for him. He pulled in and killed the engine. “You’re giving her something she’s made clear that she’s wanted for quite some time. Something she’s always wanted.”

“You mean my baby brother or sister?” With Natasha’s urging, they had sat Sigyn down and informed her that she was to be a big sister, but she had to keep quiet about it, to which they received squealing, the small girl running to her room to tell Bragi the big news because according to her he was a part of the family and deserved to know too. 

Thor smiled at her through the rearview mirror. “I do.”

They climbed out of the car, Thor helping Sigyn out and Loki grabbing the two presents - a box-like rectangle and a long, slimmer rectangle. Thor kept her in his arms as they walked up the path, the front lawn was empty but noise poured in from the backyard, the smell of food enticing in the air. Before Thor could reach for the handle the door opened, revealing a beaming older woman.

“My baby!”

“Mother, I’m in my 30s.” Thor put Sigyn down and wrapped his mother in a warm hug. “Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you. You’ll always be my baby.” She pulled back with a grin before looking at the other two arrivals. “Now introduce us.”

Loki fought down the urge to blush as Thor’s arm came around his shoulder, pulling him close, Thor’s mother giving them a knowing look and smile. “Mother, this is Loki. Loki this is my mother, Frigga Odinson. And this,” Thor reached down and ruffled Sigyn’s hair, earning himself a pout as she tried to get it back in order, “is Sigyn.”

Not bothering with pleasantries, Frigga came forth and gave Loki a quick, one-armed squeeze, Loki managing a breathy “Happy Birthday”, before neatly crouching down to Sigyn’s level. “Aren’t you just lovely?” She helped the small girl smooth out her hair, sending Thor a good glare in the process.

“Happy Birthday, Mrs. Odinson.”

“Thank you, dear. You can call me Miss Frigga, formalities are so boring.” Frigga stood. “And it’s just Frigga for you, Loki.”

Loki’s eyes widened. “I couldn’t possibly-”

Frigga waved him off. “Nonsense. Thor, your friends arrived a little while ago and they’re already terrifying the masses.”

Thor groaned. “You mean Stark.”

Frigga giggled. “Every year. Come.”

 

\-------------------

 

“He’s beautiful.”

Thor jumped and wiped off the serious expression on his face as he turned from where he was speaking to Natasha and Clint, both of which offered his mother a smile before leaving them to talk. Between the whirlwind of new arrivals, the opening of the presents (and oh did the crowd melt when they saw the painted portrait that Sigyn attempted with a photo that Thor had let her view for inspiration), and the blowing of the candles accompanied by the singing of the Birthday Song, people swarming over to the large cake once Frigga had gotten the first piece.

“He is.”

They watched as Loki spoke at length with Idunn, who had accosted him nearly as soon as he had stepped through the glass door leading to the backyard hours ago. Loki didn’t appear to mind it at all, if the slight smirk on his face had anything to say, though he managed to keep an eye on Sigyn, who was currently whispering conspiratorially with Stark and Banner.

“Son, if I had known...”

Thor placed a hand on her arm. “It’s fine Mother.”

Frigga shook her head. “It was so insensitive of me to hint at grandchildren and I didn’t even know-”

Thor beamed. “Mother, would you mind if we spoke in your private library?”

His mother looked very curious now. “Of course not. Come.”

“I’m going to get Loki and we will meet you there.”

Frigga nodded and headed for the glass doors, casting a look back at him every so often. Thor sifted through the crowd until he approached Loki and Idunn, who had been joined by Natasha. “Ladies. Loki.”

“Thor!” Idunn grinned. “I feel as if I haven’t seen you all day. I was just telling Loki about the time you and Balder thought it would be a good idea to go mattress surfing at that hotel in Berlin...”

Thor winced. “I came just in time then. Excuse me ladies, but would you mind if I borrowed him for a moment?”

Natasha seemed to catch on immediately and put a hand to Idunn’s shoulder. “Why don’t we go talk to today’s artist before she gets corrupted by Stark?”

“That painting was lovely, especially for her age! You’ve done such a great job with her, Loki. I wonder if she’ll do one for me.”

“Only one way to find out.” Natasha nodded to the two men and pulled Idunn away.

“I know I should’ve asked you before today, but it would only be my mother and I know she won’t tell anyone-”

“It’s fine. Where is she?” Frigga had taken great pains to speak to him often today, her warm smile never wavering as she listened to his hesitant and often shy responses - it wasn’t like him to feel almost timid in someone’s presence, but she was Thor’s mother and she meant the world to him and she seemed to have a high opinion of him already and Loki didn’t want to say anything to mess that up.

“Her library, she’s waiting for us.”

Loki followed after Thor. “She has a library?”

“Yes. I believe you would be quite fond of it.” Their footsteps were loud in the vacated home. “I’ve seen some of the books you brought with you and she has all of them, I believe you both have the same taste in literature.”

The door was open and Thor motioned Loki inside and closed the door behind them. The room was much like the one in the office of Loki’s former home but larger, bookshelves and furniture arranged to reflect that of an actual library. Loki glanced over a few titles as he was led to the back and Thor had been right, he would be more than eager to pour over the pages of each book he saw. Frigga was waiting for them on a plush couch by a bay window, the moonlight casting over her golden hair.

“Mother.” Thor guided Loki to sit next to her, leaving only a sliver of space between him and Loki when he sat to his right.

“Is everything all right? Is there something you wish to tell me?”

“Yes to both.” Thor took one of Loki’s slender hands in his. He looked to Loki as if to ask _would you like to tell her or should I?_

Loki took a deep breath, letting it out in a shaky exhale. “Earlier I was rather concerned about not having a present to give you...”

“Nonsense, child. There had been so many already, I-”

“If I may, I apologize for interrupting but I’d rather get this out before I lose my nerve.” When had he become so _polite_? Thor was starting to rub off on him drastically. Or maybe it was the changes his body was slowly going through. “I - I’m - I’m...”

Thor squeezed his hand and that gave him enough courage to reach over and grab Frigga’s, placing it gently on his abdomen. 

Frigga frowned and pressed her hand closer, her eyes widening in surprise - she fingered the hem of his light sweater. “Would you mind, dear...?”

Loki froze, his face flushing as he gave her a slow nod to continue. She lifted the sweater and the shirt underneath it, stopping when the small bump was on full display, her hand warm on his bare skin. Loki could hear Thor gasp beside him, for reasons that were his own he’d been careful enough to be covered up at all times after the first time in the bath with Thor, the bump having grown a little since then.

“Loki...” he breathed.

Frigga suddenly stood and scurried off, Loki pulling his shirt and sweater down and turning a startled look to Thor who looked just as bewildered. Before they had a moment to even discuss her sudden departure Frigga was back with a slim book in her hands.

“When Freya had given this to me I only flipped through it and thought nothing of it really as I believed it mere theory.” She sat back down, even closer to Loki this time. “It was a gift she had given me many years ago because of my love for the unusual things in life.” She handed what Loki could now see was a journal to him. “You may not be able to read it, it’s in Russian but the sketches are phenomenal.”

“I can get Natasha to translate it for me.” Loki said absentmindedly as he carefully flipped through the old pages, looking at the sketches of young male bodies changing under the effects of carrying a child. “If only I had had this the first time around.”

“You birthed Sigyn as well? I had thought there had been a young lady in your life at some point. Though you are rather young yourself.” She winked at Thor, who looked sheepish. “Like father, like son. Your friend, she’s the red-headed one yes? I never thought I’d see Clint so in-tune with someone. He’d always been sort of a loner when he wasn’t with Thor and Tony.”

“She’s been a friend of mine for a long time. Clint is perfect for her, I’ve never seen her so content.”

“As I had yet to see my son until this day.” Loki could feel the heat creep to his face as Thor pressed closer to him with a small chuckle. “I can say that this is the most exciting birthday I’ve ever had.” She batted Thor away and encompassed Loki in a warm hug, it was a completely different feeling than when Thor did much the same - the embrace held a motherly quality that Loki hasn’t experienced in years since his relationship (or lack thereof) with his father put a divide between Loki and his own mother before she passed just after Sigyn’s second birthday. He found himself eagerly returning the gesture.

“Mother,” Thor spoke as they pulled apart. “I was wondering if Loki and Sigyn could have dinner with you and Father tomorrow evening. I will be working late and I haven’t gotten over my phase of not leaving them alone quite yet. It would give you ample time to further adjust to each other’s company and it would give me peace of mind.”

So Thor hadn’t forgotten the text from this morning. What did he mean by ‘working late’ though?

“There’s no adjustment needed but we could further discuss this journal. Two heads are better than one as they say.” Frigga accepted easily, but even Loki could see the wheels turning in her head. “Loki, I’m sure Natasha hasn’t left. It’s never too early to get a head start on that translation, dear.”

Loki didn’t need to be told twice, with a squeeze of his hand from her and a kiss on the temple from Thor, he left the library.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
>  
> 
> P.S. sexy times are on the horizon, don't you worry.


	31. The Break-in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what the title says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait but I'm officially home free until the next semester in the fall.

Loki took another sip of his tea as he watched his daughter and Frigga interact. They had moved to her library after dinner and Sigyn sat on Frigga’s lap in one of the plush armchairs, the small girl reading out loud from a book Frigga had encouraged her to pick out. 

Loki had his own book in hand, but found himself caught between staring out the window and sipping at his rapidly cooling beverage. The sun had set over an hour ago and Helblindi and co should already be on the way to his supposed location. He wondered if that’s where Thor was (though around this time he would still be at Marvel on any other day) and what is to become of this night if he is.

This morning had been enough to downplay some of his worse fears while also putting him on edge for what might happen tonight.

 

\-------------------

 

_Loki shuffled and frowned, blinking as he came to, the room just barely illuminated by the rising sun. He peeked over at the clock. 6:48 A.M. Just minutes before Thor usually got up to get ready for work and Loki got up to ready Sigyn for the daycare/learning center. He felt warm lips press against his nape, speak of the devil. He felt Thor nuzzling the back of his neck again. He hummed and squirmed back into the larger body behind him until something brushed across the cheek of his arse._

_“Thor.” He gasped softly when calloused fingers drifting over his hip dipped into the front of his sleepwear._

_Thor leaned further over and kissed along the line of his jaw before Loki turned his face up and their lips met. Loki sighed and shivered when Thor’s thumb traced the now leaking head of his cock. He pushed back into Thor, earning a small intake of breath from the blonde. It had been a while since they had done something like this and he would be lying if he said he didn’t miss it._

_He broke the kiss and glanced over at the clock. 6:53 A.M. “Thor,” he thrust forward in the hand that was now circled around his member, “hurry. Sigyn.”_

_Thor glanced at the clock and ground his hips forward, his hand moving faster on Loki’s shaft. Loki buried his face in his pillow, his breath shallow as he felt the familiar signs of his impending release. Thor moved the hand that was tucked underneath him to his chest, his fingers ghosting over Loki’s nipples through the material of the long-sleeve he wore; Loki jerked at the contact, his nipples were highly sensitive with the slow budding of the breasts he would have to breastfeed with. His orgasm caught him off-guard, his warmth spilling onto Thor’s hand as he shuddered through his haze._

_Wiping the mess on his own pajama bottoms, Thor tightened his arm around Loki’s hips; he thrust against Loki, his movements increasing in strength as his breathing picked up. Through his daze Loki pressed back to help Thor reach his own completion - Thor gasped and the hand on him tightened, his lover’s hips stuttering through his climax. The alarm went off as Thor sagged back to catch his breath. Loki reached over and turned the alarm off - his body was shifted around by Thor so he could kiss him properly, his clean hand finding its usual spot on Loki’s neck._

_Thor brushed their noses together and offered him a smile. He opened his mouth to speak just as there was a small knock on the door._

_“Mommy? Thor? I’m hungry!”_

_They chuckled, Thor shifting and wincing at the mess in his bottoms._

_Loki pushed himself up. “You should go get cleaned up.”_

_“Definitely.”_

 

__________________

 

Loki could feel the flush on his face and hoped the other two occupants of the room didn’t notice. He hadn’t minded the events of this morning and Thor hadn’t lingered any longer than usual, but Loki could sense something behind that bright gaze and it had him wondering whether or not he should stay home or head to Thor’s parents’ home that evening. Sigyn running up for a hug from the blonde answered that question, and instead of going for just dinner Loki allowed Thor to drop him off there after leaving Sigyn at the center.

He and Frigga spent hours up until it was time to pick up Sigyn talking, even Odin making a brief appearance. He said next to nothing, only introductions passing between him and Loki.

At the look on Loki’s face, Odin offered what he knew deep down to be a rare grin. “I know,” he had said, “Odin Odinson. My father had a sense of humor.”

It was now eight-thirty, it would be time to put Sigyn to bed soon and Loki was starting to get antsy. He felt something thump against his calf and looked down to see Bragi pleading with his eyes for a good scratch - Thor’s insistence of bringing the family dog here too only caused him to worry even more. He would’ve called Thor by now but as of yesterday he was phoneless and he couldn’t raise Frigga’s suspicions by sneaking off or asking to use the home phone here. All he could do is sit and wait and he didn’t do well at that when his mind was elsewhere.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

There were three sharp knocks on the door. After they received no answer there was another set of three knocks on the door. After the second bout of silence there was shuffling behind the door of the flat and the knob rattled gently before the door was opened. The lights were on in the flat and Helblindi could sense the presence of people here and grinned, it would seem that his little brother had taken to hiding. It would do him no good, Helblindi motioned for the other men (totaling the group at five) to follow him inside and the last man closed the door behind him.

“Loki!” Helblindi called out. “I know you’re here. Father has waited long enough and your insolence has worn out not only his patience but good graces as well.” Helblindi looked back at his entourage, who shrugged in confusion. “Loki! We will have that Tesseract and we will have it now! Loki!”

“Has anyone told you that it is considered rude to break into a place that is not yours?”

Helblindi whipped around. “Odinson,” he spat.

Thor pushed up from his perch at the edge of the hall and stepped into the living room.

“I see you have bribed my brother into giving you his phone. The one my father was so gracious to give him.”

Thor tossed a clear bag at Helblindi, who caught it by reflex. It contained the shattered remains of the cell phone. “Your father can have it back. In fact, he is to leave Loki alone from this moment forward.”

“Ah,” Helblindi sneered, “he’s whored himself out for protection? He always knew how to put his best skills to use.”

Thor stepped forward until they were face to face. “What Loki has done in his past will stay in his past. I wish I could say the same for you, you sick bastard.”

Helblindi grinned, his perceived advantage in numbers making him confident in himself. He lowered his voice before speaking, “I heard that his face looks magnificent in the throes of passion.” A wicked grin stole across his features. “I disagree, fear makes him look absolutely exquisite.”

A brief flash was all the warning Helblindi got before thick fingers wrapped around his neck. His henchmen came forward, only to be thwarted by the sudden appearance of Balder, Clint, and Natasha, Tony rushing out of the kitchen with frying pan in one hand and a sauce pan in the other.

Balder tackled one to the ground, a wrestling match ensued. He used his size to get a better hold on the trespasser, slipping him into an easy headlock. Natasha ran forward and executed a handspring, using the momentum to take her opponent to the carpeted floor with the lock of the legs. She sprung up from the floor, taking a shot at the man’s crotch before delivering a punt to his temple, knocking him out cold. Clint took to the floor and rolled between his guy’s legs, taking a vase from a nearby side table and aiming for the man’s head, hitting him dead center in the back of it. Once he tumbled to the ground Clint was on him in an instant, using the wrap on his wrist to tie it around the henchman’s wrists. Balder was now struggling with his charge, the intruder having taken a quick shot to his balls. Just as the brute had wrapped a hand around his throat, a loud _thump_ echoed and the man slumped to reveal a skittish Tony wielding one of his pans.

Meanwhile, Thor and Helblindi had traded several blows, their bout bumping them into many different pieces of furniture. They stumbled over one of the couches and Thor used his greater bulk to pin down him on the ground. 

He leaned down to speak into the struggling man’s ear. “You deserve a painful death for what you have done, but since I need you to deliver a message to that piece of scum you call a father, you shall live this day.” Helblindi cried out when Thor delivered a shot to his lower back with his knee. “You tell Laufey this: he has been a nuisance, he has spied on my business - within criminal limit, might I add, he has broken into my home, and worst of all, he has become the reason why the love of my life is afraid to let himself go and _will_ be dealt with accordingly. He has crossed one too many lines, and he won’t be glad that he did.” Thor reached down and got a good grip on Helblindi’s left arm, chuckling. “I may not kill you but you’re not leaving unscathed.”

The others winced and finally turned their attention to where the pair were when they heard a snap and screeching cry.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Loki looked up from his borrowed book when the door to the guest room he was staying in opened, a wet-haired Thor walking through with a duffle bag in each hand.

“Thor,” Loki closed the book and stood, approaching his lover cautiously. “It’s almost midnight, where have you been? Why do you have those bags? What have you done? And your lip!”

Thor closed the door with a foot. “The flat, they came and it is not wise to go back, and what needed to be done.” He dropped the bags to the floor and cupped Loki’s face in both hands, leaning down for a kiss. “Gods, I’ve needed that all day,” he sighed as he pulled away.

“What are we going to do?”

“I have spoken to Mother and we will stay here. We will look for a place at the first opportunity.” Thor gave him a boyish grin. “A flat is really no place to raise a family anyway, yeah?”

Loki didn’t melt, he swore on everything he owned that he didn’t, but he let Thor guide him to the bed and change the topic.

“How was your day?”

The corner of Loki’s lips turned up. “Frigga is lovely.”

“That she is. It is a great blessing that I get to call her ‘Mother’.” Thor quick shed down to his underwear. “As I have a feeling you will one day too.”

Loki fidgeted with his book, a hint of red staining his cheeks.

Thor climbed in beside him, tugging him over to him and easing the book from his grasp. “You will be seeing Dr. Pym tomorrow, yes?”

Loki turned over on his side and Thor easily molded to him - his back to his chest, his knees tucked behind his, his nose buried in his curly hair and his arm wrapped just under his expanding waist, ready to move to his stomach as soon as Loki fell into a deep enough sleep. “Yes. It’s nothing too major. The one after is a big one. Twelve weeks is the end of the first trimester. He wants to do an ultrasound then.”

“I’m afraid that I won’t be able to make it tomorrow,” Loki turned his upper body as best he could so he could face Thor when the blonde paused, “but you have my word that I will be there for that ultrasound.”

Loki found that he wasn’t surprised but he was undoubtedly pleased - he unknowingly gave Thor the smile that he reserved only for Sigyn and on occasion Natasha. “I know you will, Thor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The morning was a teaser for you, we get to the good stuff in just a bit. Thank you for reading and hanging in there with me!


	32. Success & Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit short - not by too much - but the next chapter is gonna be on the longer side.

Helblindi flinched as the chair flew past him, smashing into the wall, and unconsciously cupped his broken arm.

“Not only does he not do as I have asked, but he is spreading his legs for the _Odinson_!?” Laufey dragged a hand through his short hair. “Where are the others?”

“I have no idea sir, they were kept-”

The door opened and Byleistr poked his head in. “Father,” he stepped in, revealing the laptop in his hands. “We’ve lost all traces of the bug. I believe it was found.”

Laufey laughed maniacally. “So he’s working for him, too? The Odinson is making good use of him, that’s for sure. If he thinks he’s going to get away with any of this he is sorely mistaken.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“The other goonies are over at the warehouse.” Clint informed the small group, leaning up against one of the actual walls in Thor’s office.

“Excellent.” Thor leaned back in his leather chair.

“What are we going to do with them? We won’t be able to hold them forever.” Natasha said, leaning back in her own chair in front of Thor’s desk.

“I say we turn them in to the authorities once we get the information we want.” Balder replied.

Thor shook his head. “If we turn them in to the authorities we won’t be able to do much in the way of getting information. The last thing we need is the attention of the law with what we will be doing.”

“True.” Balder conceded. “The more important question is what are we going to do about Laufey?”

“Draw him out from hiding.” Thor leaned forward. “I will not rest until he is dealt with.”

Before Balder opened his mouth to possibly protest, Natasha spoke up.

“Leave the locating to us for now. You have a business to run and a family to look after.” She waved him off when he made to argue. “I know how special he is to you now and let me tell you that he’s been one of few I can count on one hand as a friend. He’s important to me too and Laufey has been giving him a hard time for years. Now that I’m in a solid position to do something about it, I _will_.”

The two shared a look before Thor nodded. “You have my thanks.”

“No problem. How’s the house hunting been?”

Thor grinned. “We found a place that we both agree on last weekend.”

Natasha gave him a knowing look. “You mean a place that Loki finally liked.”

Thor chuckled. “Yes.”

“What are you looking at as far as details go?”

“5 bed. 8 bath. It’s a fair distance from Sigyn’s learning center and from the school Loki has his heart set on for her to attend. It’s less than ten minutes away from here too.” A loud beeping sounded and Thor pulled out his Stark Phone, his eyes widening. “I’m afraid that we will have to cut this short. I have to go.” Thor hurriedly stood. 

“Loki’s appointment?” Natasha laughed at the stunned look on Thor’s face. “I’m his best friend, remember?”

“He’s getting an ultrasound today.” Thor beamed, his eye purposely locked on Balder. “Do you mind taking over, brother? I’ve manipulated the schedule for today to keep things light.”

Balder stood and waved him off, exiting the office first.

“He still not with us all the way?” Clint raised a brow.

“He will be after today, I assure you.”

Clint gave a single nod and left.

Thor stopped Natasha with a hand on her elbow. “I need your help.”

Natasha smiled at the nervousness that was clear in Thor’s eyes and voice.

 

\-----------------------------

 

There was an excited tension in the air as the three men entered the empty room, the tallest of them placing the glowing cube on the floor in the center.

“You sure this is safe for the kid?” Tony asked Loki.

Tony had suddenly become much more interested in his relationship with Thor, his pregnancy, and just his well-being in general. Though he doesn’t like it, he concedes because the little nuisance proved - excluding the first incident - to be sufficient help when it come to the Tesseract and because he was growing on him. He will never admit that to Stark’s face. Ever. Besides, he was truly starting to show (much more than with Sigyn) and there wasn’t much he could do to hide it once he took off his outer layers.

“Positive.” Not that he really knew. 

He knelt down and waved his hand over the Tesseract, watching with rapt attention as it hummed to life, brighter and stronger than ever before.

“Ready?” Loki looked back to where Tony and Bruce waited in anticipation. He took a deep breath and reached for the Tesseract, the heat radiating from it warming his hand as it made contact.

The trio, dubbed “the Science Bros” by Stark, had been working for over a month to find solutions that would stabilize the Tesseract and this was just one of many trials they had implemented to see if the extra factors they tweaked or added worked. This time they used a particle accelerator to speed up the transition from one scenery to another so crucial amounts of momentum wouldn’t be lost, thus leaving enough energy to maintain whatever scene the Tesseract is manipulated to conjure up - in theory anyway.

Reality began to blend around them, the empty room slowly altering itself into Loki’s old home office. Once the blurred waves dissipated Loki stood, the other two coming up to flank him.

“There’s resistance in the carpet.” Tony noted, Bruce scribbling on the pad he brought with him.

Loki exhaled and walked over to the bookshelf, reaching up and dragging his fingers across the binding of the books on one of the rows. He gasped when his hand made actual contact instead of just passing through. The titles themselves were missing, and Tony came up and eased one of the books out to discover that the pages in the books were blank as well.

Another look around showed that the finer details were lacking, but the fact that they could interact with the room as if they were in the real place proved that their mission to stabilize the Tesseract was a success. Loki and Bruce bore grins (Loki’s was comparatively bigger) and Tony let out a whoop. Loki guesstimated where the Tesseract was and waved over the general area, the fabric of reality blending again until they were back in the empty room.

“Fuck yes!”

Loki wouldn’t put his feelings in such base terminology but what he would have said would have been along those lines. He picked up the Tesseract, easing it back in its containment chamber and they left to go back to the main lab. Loki turned on his newly acquired Stark Phone (courtesy of his...science bro) on the way and the alarm he had set up chirped. He stopped and turned to face the other two, specifically Bruce.

“I would have you take this with you. I trust that you will allow no harm to come to it?”

“After all this work? Are you kidding, Lok-ster?”

They ignored Tony.

“Of course not.” Bruce took the containment chamber from Loki. “We know how important this is to you. It’ll be fine.”

Loki nodded his thanks and moved to the elevator.

 

\-------------------------

 

“Loki! It’s good to see you again.” Dr. Pym walked in with his clipboard, shutting the door behind himself. “Oh, hello. You brought a friend I see. Doctor Henry Pym.” The doctor held his hand out.

Thor stood from the chair that he positioned on the side of the bed that wasn’t occupied by machines and took it, giving it a firm shake. “I’m more than just a friend, good doctor. I’m the father. Thor Odinson.”

“There’s only a few who don’t know who your are Mr. Odinson -”

“Thor.”

“-Thor. If you’ll have a seat we’ll get started. I know how impatient this one can get.”

Both of them glanced over and chuckled at the expectant look on Loki’s face, his long fingers drumming over the bump of his protruding belly. Thor obliged and sat down, grabbing Loki’s hand once the lithe man tugged his shirt up to expose his stomach. 

“Hm. You’re bigger than you were with Sigyn.” Dr. Pym noted as he washed and dried his hands, pulling on a set of gloves; he sat down on the stool on the other side. “I’m sure you know this is gonna be cold so brace yourself.” Loki did just that as he picked up the tube, squirting a sizable dollop of gel on Loki’s stomach, causing the young man to gasp and jump.

It was quiet in the room as the doctor guided the probe around Loki’s stomach until he found what he was looking for, everyone’s eyes fixed solely on the screen. It took a moment, but they heard it before they saw it. Loki smiled and Thor’s eyes widened in wonder when the machine picked up on the child’s heartbeat.

“Hm,” Dr. Pym frowned. “The heartbeat is a bit faster and louder than anticipated.”

“Is there something wrong?” Loki’s hand tightened on Thor’s and the blonde squeezed in return.

“I’m not entirely sure...oh.” Dr. Pym’s eyes grew a touch. “No wonder.”

They didn’t have to ask, they saw it for themselves - Thor’s jaw dropping and Loki’s face draining of color.

“Looks like you’re getting two for the price of one.”

Indeed there were two. One on top of the other, the tiny bodies separated by a thin layer.

“I can’t quite tell the sexes, since both are being sneaky and are covering themselves up, but we can try again on the next visit.” The doctor explained as he printed the still. He sighed, “I want to increase your visits here to once or twice a month. Twins normally aren’t that big of a deal but given the circumstances here I’m calling high risk. They look and sound healthy here, but I’m unwilling to chance this; we’re dealing with two lives here, three including yours Loki, it never hurts to be cautious.” Dr. Pym handed them the sonogram photos. “You’re still taking those vitamins, yes?”

Loki nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Thor used a couple of paper towels to wipe off the gel on Loki’s stomach.

“Great, especially now that we know there’s two. I’m going to have you get more. I want to see you at the end of the month, okay Loki?”

“Okay.” Loki croaked, pulling his shirt down and pushing himself up.

When Dr. Pym left Thor turned Loki towards him and kissed him; Loki responded immediately, his hands reaching under his suit jacket to clutch at Thor’s dress shirt. When they broke apart Thor wrapped the pale man in his arms. He could hear him trying to hold back sobs.

“Shh. It’s alright, shh.”

“Sigyn alone was trouble enough, but two? I don’t think I can do this Thor.”

“I understand that you are afraid, but trust that I will be with you every step of the way. You have my word and you know I always keep my word.”

At this, Loki’s frightened tears broke free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	33. Date Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long wait, my brother's graduation from basic training was this week and that took immediate precedence. Your long awaited smut is here! XD

Thor poked his head into the kitchen, stepping fully in when he spotted Loki at the stove. With the help of the others, they had moved into their new home just last week; they moved whatever furniture that wasn’t broken into the home and made plans to get more once Thor’s dealings with the new building in Beijing wrapped up. He licked his lips nervously and approached the brunette slowly.

“If you’re looking to sneak up on me then I suggest you not clomp around like a barn animal.” Loki said, his eyes fixed on the pancakes he was making - one of the few things he could cook that wouldn’t send him running for the toilet to retch.

“Then it’s a good thing I wasn’t trying to, hm?” Thor planted a kiss to his temple, watching as Loki placed the final pancake on the hefty stack already prepared.

“Will you be able to stay and have a few of these?”

Thor smiled. “I would make the time even if I wasn’t.”

“Would you mind getting Sigyn? I fear that stairs are increasingly becoming a problem.”

Thor chuckled. “In a moment...”

Loki flipped off the burner and finally gave Thor his undivided attention. “I can see the wheels are trying hard to turn inside your head. And you’re nervous.” Loki pursed his lips. “Why are you nervous?”

“I don’t know, since this isn’t my first time asking this of you.” Thor scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish.

Loki raised a single brow and waited.

“It’s been a while since we last did something alone...” Thor fidgeted. “So I wanted to know if you would like to have go out and have dinner tonight?”

“Oh.” Loki looked genuinely surprised. “What about Sigyn?”

“I have spoken with Natasha and she and Clint have volunteered to look after her and Bragi tonight should you be willing to accept.”

“And dinner?”

“Wherever you feel like going. I know your tastes have changed lately.”

Loki gave him a long, hard look. “I...accept.”

He was immediately swept up into a hug; Thor put him down with a grin and left to go get Sigyn.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Be good for Natasha, love.” Loki bent down as far as he could and kissed Sigyn on the forehead.

Sigyn gave him a serious salute. “Yes, sir.”

Natasha took her hand and gave Loki a rare, full on smile. “Have fun, _moy drug_.”

Loki watched Natasha shoulder Sigyn’s overnight bag, whistling for Bragi to follow as she led the small girl over to her car. It was seldom that he let her go without feeling a hint of apprehension, but he knew that she was in great hands. He sighed and wrapped a green scarf around his neck just as heavy footsteps thundered down the stairs.

“Are you ready to go?”

“I am.”

Thor guided him out with a hand on his lower back, stopping briefly to lock up their home, and opened the car door for Loki to climb inside. “Anywhere in particular you want to go?”

“Just drive, we’ll see where it takes us.”

Thor nodded and pulled off, merging easily into the evening traffic. “As you wish.”

They had been driving for almost half an hour when Loki smelled it through the opening of the window he cracked open along the way - the scent was beefy, greasy, and _wonderful_. He was quickly able to single out the source.

“There.” he pointed to the building coming up on the right.

Thor frowned. “Hill Country? I should inform you that that restaurant isn’t vegetarian friendly.”

“ _There_.” Loki repeated.

Thor did as he was told and eased into the far right lane, pulling into the steadily crowding parking lot. There was a lot of hustle and bustle when the pair got inside, but since they only required a table for two they were seated quicker than some of the others. They didn’t attract too much unnecessary attention, both were dressed very casually - Loki wore his softest pants and an evergreen sweater and Thor was clad in jeans that looked like they were painted on his sculpted legs and a thick, gray sweater that clung to his broad upper body - but Thor was always bound to catch quite a few eyes, the man looked like a god amongst mortals and he was all _Loki’s_.

They were seated near the back and Loki had a menu in hand before they even sat down. Everything looked so good and he could feel his mouth water incessantly the further down he got. When the waitress came to take their orders Thor’s brow shot up as Loki gave a small list of what he wanted, of course Thor ordered the same amount of food, but that was to be expected of a man his size. He tried hard not to stare in amazement as Loki systematically tucked into the moist brisket, pork loin, macaroni and cheese, cucumber salad, and banana pudding, taking sips of iced tea between bites.

He was grinning by the time Loki sat back with a look of utter satisfaction on his face.

“How would you feel about a small walk?” Thor asked as he slipped several notes into the slim, leather bound check holder.

“I don’t know...” Loki groaned and thought it out, blushing when a small burp escaped his lips. “Okay, maybe I should.”

It was a short drive to Central Park and under the guise of night Thor tried his luck and threaded his fingers through Loki’s, breathing a sigh of relief when the lithe man didn’t pull away or tense up. It seemed that after the initial panic of their bundle of joy becoming _bundles_ of joy, the pregnancy seemed to have a calming effect on Loki’s temperament. The thought gave him hope for what he was about to do; the path they were walking was rather desolate and Thor took his chance before that changed. He came to a slow stop, earning a confused glance from Loki who stopped alongside him.

“Thor...?” 

Thor took a shaky breath and charging forward before potentially losing his nerve. “I don’t have a speech or anything like that prepared for this moment, for I don’t have the skills of a wordsmith such as yourself.” Thor’s hand slid easily up to its familiar spot on Loki’s neck. “You have my heart in your very hands,” Thor took those hands in his own, “and should you choose to accept it, know that I will do everything in my power to make you happy and protect you to the best of my ability even if it means death and you will have my love unconditionally.”

Loki watched as Thor stepped back to pull a tiny box out of his coat pocket and when did he have the time to get that? When Thor moved to get down on one knee Loki shot out a hand to stop him and shook his head, Thor giving him a curious, anxious, and startled look.

“I would hate for you to ruin perfectly good trousers.”

Thor’s expression turned relieved and he licked his lips. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my partner, Loki?”

He opened the box to reveal one of the most beautiful [bands](http://www.gemvara.com/jewelry/men's-triple-twist-ring/men's-round-emerald-18k-yellow-gold-ring-with-emerald/2g9vg) Loki has ever seen. The band itself was yellow gold and three emerald gems flashed up at him in the moonlight - two of out of three of Loki’s favorite colors. The ring held an androgynous appeal and the proposal itself did nothing to mistakenly feminize Loki in any way, a stark contrast to the grand show James made years prior with an engagement ring befitting a woman. It was just another reason on the list to help support his answer.

Loki held his left hand out. “Yes, I will.”

Thor’s smile was bright enough to light all of New York City as he slipped the ring on Loki’s finger. It was a perfect fit.

At Loki’s lifted brow Thor’s grin turned equal parts mischievous and sheepish. “I may have gotten help from Natasha.”

So that’s why she was so quick to smile earlier, she knew that this was going to happen which meant that she knew what Loki’s answer was going to be. He would talk to her later, he also neglected to tell her about the twins and the book he had acquired from Frigga.

Thor cupped his face in his large hands and kissed him, and for the first time, Loki didn’t care who saw them or what they had to say. He was to be married, and deep down he knew that he had chosen right this time.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Loki gasped as he was pressed against the door of their bedroom. His hands clutched onto Thor’s massive shoulders as he fished blindly for another kiss that was gladly accepted by his new fiancé. Mindful of the bump of Loki’s stomach, Thor lifted him up in his arms and crossed the distance from the door to their huge bed, gently depositing Loki onto the soft sheets. He divested Loki of both his shoes and socks, quickly toeing off his own footwear before climbing on the bed next to Loki.

Loki melted into the next kiss he was given, his erection straining in the confines of his trousers, the hard press of the length against the side of his thigh spoke of Thor’s own condition. He bore no objection when Thor slid his trousers down to his ankles and tossed them to the floor, but when Thor moved to take off his shirt he stopped him instantly.

Thor frowned. “Is there something wrong, Loki?”

“I -” Loki winced. “I would prefer to leave this on.”

The frown deepened. “Why?”

It had been two weeks since the visit to Dr. Pym’s personal practice, and a lot can and has happened to Loki’s body since then. Not only had he gotten bigger, but he’d begun to notice a few intricate lines of stretch marks along his hips and swollen belly - the shirt was long enough to cover both areas. He turned his head away from Thor’s quizzical gaze.

“Loki...” Thor grabbed Loki’s chin and turned his face to look at him dead on. “Nothing is going to change how I see you. You’re beautiful - even more so with the glow your bear from carrying our children.”

Thor reached for the shirt again and Loki reluctantly allowed him to take it off. Thor quickly stood and stripped bare, making Loki feel even more self-conscious in the face of his physical perfection. Thor was back on him in an instant, his hands travelling along Loki’s body - his calloused fingertips caressing all the right places, his soft lips not far behind them. Thor eased him up to the center of the bed, rummaging through the drawer next to the bed to retrieve one of the tubes of lube they kept on hand.

Tossing the tube in the general direction of the pillows, Thor went back to his attentive exploration of Loki’s changed body. Loki stamped down the urge to jerk away when Thor’s fingers traced the stretch marks, his touch bordering on reverent. Loki gasped and shuddered when Thor’s warm tongue traced a particularly long mark that stretched from his hip to the bottom of his stomach. He did the same with the others, Loki’s embarrassment decreasing with every journey that his tongue made.

Thor reached for a pillow and urged Loki to lift his hips for him, sliding it under his lower back. With his bottom slanted up it didn’t require Thor to maneuver him far to reveal him to those hungry blue eyes; Loki sighed when Thor licked from behind his sac down to his entrance. He was panting harshly as Thor alternated between tapping the tip of his tongue against his perineum and long swipes of the slippery muscle. He moaned loudly when it finally pushed inside of him, his head sagging back and his hand tangling in Thor’s hair.

“Thor...gods, yes.”

Loki pried his eyes open and looked down to find Thor’s eyes, nearly swamped by his pupils, watching him intently. 

It was proving to be more than he could handle and Loki searched blindly for the lube, holding it out for Thor to take. “I can’t hold on for much longer.”

Thor pulled away and took the tube from him, coating his fingers liberally; he traced along his entrance before pushing his middle finger inside, meeting some resistance since it has been quite a long time since they had done this. Thor rubbed soothing circles along Loki’s flank as he worked him open, stopping every so often to allow Loki to adjust as needed.

After much teasing, Loki felt the tip of Thor’s fingers brush that special spot inside of him and he nearly saw stars.

“Thor, I-I can’t - nngh...”

Thor was pressing insistently against that spot and was now stroking his cock. “It’s okay, my love. Let go for me.”

Loki squeezed his eyes shut and concentrated on his impending release, the pressure building more and more until it finally became too much - a sound cry escaping his lips as he spilled over Thor’s pumping hand.

Thor licked his hand clean and pulled his fingers out, picking up the lube again to coat his member, precome leaking progressively from the tip. He took the pillow out from under Loki and eased the pliant brunette onto his side, easing his leg up to expose his loose and relaxed hole. He pasted himself to Loki’s back, leaving little between them as he positioned himself at Loki’s entrance.

“Are you ready?”

Loki managed a nod and Thor pushed forward, both moaning at the familiar and missed feeling of Thor slowly bottoming out inside of Loki, his chest flush against his back now. The pale man was too impatient to wait and he pushed back against Thor, his cock already hardening again. Thor’s thrusts were slow but deep, their hands clasping together over Loki’s stomach.

Loki cried out as Thor continued to rub against his prostate. “Faster, harder...please...”

Thor wasted no time doing as demanded - using his free hand to alternate between Loki’s nipples and he caught the shell of Loki’s ear between his lips and nibbled lightly on it just the way he liked it, sending his beloved into a frenzy, his neck and face flushed from the pleasure. 

“Gods Loki...so tight...”

“Nngh... So good...so close...”

When Thor slipped his hand out of Loki’s and wrapped it around his aching length his name spilled from those thin lips in a breathless mantra. “Thor! Thor, oh god, Thor!”

Thor bit down on the juncture between Loki’s neck and shoulder and with the flooding sensations coursing from Thor’s multiple ministrations, Loki came undone once again, spots appearing in his vision as his peak hit him even harder this time around. Thor’s hips stuttered when his own orgasm took him by surprise, the clenching of Loki’s passage overwhelming him, a long, drawn-out groan tumbled from his lips as he filled Loki with his release.

Their combined breathing was the only sound in the room as they trembled through their aftershocks. Thor eventually pulled out his softening member before wiping his hand on the bed sheet and flopping onto his back, receiving an armful of Loki once he settled in. He wrestled the sheets from under them and covered their sated bodies.

It was Loki who spoke first. “Promise me you will never make me wait that long ever again.”

“Done. One of the easiest promises I could ever make.” Thor chuckled.

“What took you so long?” His old fears had been creeping up for some time before tonight - his pregnancy had been the reason why James had begun to stray in the first place, he hadn’t bothered to touch him in any intimate way, let alone have sex with him throughout his carrying of Sigyn.

Thor blushed. “I was worried that I might harm you or our children if I made love to you. Dr. Pym was kind enough to inform me otherwise on our last visit.”

Loki snickered and looked down, catching the glint of moonlight on his ring; Thor caught it too and took Loki’s hand in his, his thumb caressing the precious metal. “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me this night, Loki. I love you.”

Loki was well aware of his smile this time. “I love you too, Thor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	34. Sigyn's Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just what the title says.

Loki wiggled around in the bed when he felt the whiskers of Thor’s beard graze against his own smooth jaw.

“Loki.”

“Nnnmm.” Loki shuffled away and settled back down to sleep.

“Loki.” Thor nipped at a spot on Loki’s shoulder, his hand coming up to shake him.

“No.” There was still some dredges of sleep left in him, maybe if he grasped at it he would be able to get back to his slumber.

“Love, you have to get up. We have to get cleaned up so we can set up for Sigyn’s party and get her cake.”

Loki shot up as fast as he could, nearly clipping Thor in the nose. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? It’s our baby’s special day!” Loki scrambled out of bed and power walked to the adjoining bathroom, oblivious to Thor’s shocked face. “Oh, you already ran a bath.” Loki poked his head out of the bathroom entrance. “Are you coming?” Loki glanced at the clock, “I believe we could spare the time for a little fun, yes?”

Thor was certain that he’s never ran to a bathroom so swiftly in his life.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Loki bit the back end of his pen as he scoured over the notes and lists he’s made attached to the clipboard. “Decorations?”

Bruce climbed down from the ladder after adjusting the birthday banner, hopping down once he was close enough to the ground, his eyes scanning the colorful landscape. “Check,” he panted.

Loki checked it off the list. “Food and drinks?”

“Check!” Tony shouted from the refreshments tent.

“Healthy choices and uneaten?” Loki gave him a stern look after he checked it off.

“Gosh Loki, I’m not robbing the kiddos!” Tony threw his hands up. “Just yet,” he muttered.

“Cake?”

“Check!” Thor called out from a distance, he and Balder carrying the large, three-tier cake to the refreshment tent to be rolled out later - the design was heavily based off of _Alice in Wonderland_ , Sigyn’s favorite book.

Loki smiled at an approaching Frigga. “The guests?”

“Should be arriving,” she glanced behind him, “right now actually.”

Loki turned to see a few of Sigyn’s friends, accompanied by their parents, approaching the party area. A few weeks ago, they had accosted a prime location in Prospect Park for Sigyn’s party, Loki immediately shooting down Central Park as a “hopeless, tourist infested, unoriginal choice for a birthday party.” Thor didn’t counter with the fact that he was to propose to Loki in that same hopeless, tourist infested, unoriginal park, instead he nodded along and went with his beloved’s choice. It had a carousel, tennis court, zoo, and boat rides along with the activities they had set up in the area itself.

“How are you and my grandchildren?” Frigga asked kindly.

“They’re quite fine. We go back to Dr. Pym next week to hear their heartbeats and learn the genders if we choose. Even with two I didn’t expect to get so big so fast.” Loki blew out a breath, looking down at the stomach he could no longer hide under layers. He hoped he wouldn’t be a spectacle on his daughter’s special day.

“Well, you were pretty slim in the first place, child. And you?”

Loki pushed a stray lock from his eye. “As well as I can with the cravings and the aches and everything else that’s increased twofold.”

Frigga gasped, her hands going to her mouth and her eyes glistening.

Loki frowned. “Did I say something wrong?”

Frigga snatched his hand up, her thumb lightly caressing the ring on his finger. She looked up at him in wonder. “Why did he not tell me? When did this happen?”

Loki flushed. “Last night.”

They heard heavy footsteps behind them, Thor and Balder stopping next to them.

“The guests are arriving,” Thor began to work the muscles in Loki’s lower back with his thumbs, Loki managing not to purr and lean back into it. “Is Sigyn on her way?”

Frigga reached over and smacked Thor on his arm as hard as she could.

“Ow!” Thor rubbed at the offended spot. “What was that for, Mother?”

“Why did you not tell me?” Frigga waved Loki’s hand at her son.

Balder’s eyes widened exponentially and Thor blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I was going to tell you after I got his answer!”

“You could have told me before!” She hit him again. “Of course he would say yes, you two are made for each other!” Another hit.

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Thor scurried away from her onslaught.

“The face paint station is finally finished, as is the other booths!” Idunn sang as she danced forward.

“Thank you, Idunn.” Loki checked it off of the list before pulling out his phone, hitting the speed dial number he assigned for Natasha. 

She picked up after the first ring, “We’re almost there now, everything good on your end?”

“Good and yes, everything is ready.”

“Great, and Loki?”

“Mh?”

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had some one on one time, moy drug.”

Loki’s cheeks twitched with the threatening smile. “We’ll find the time, min kjære venn.”

Natasha chuckled before ending the call.

“Okay,” Loki exhaled. “We have the cake, amusement, decorations, food and drinks, and... Oh! The presents?”

“The tent is set up for them and they’re inside.” They all turned to see Odin standing just on the outside of the group.

Loki gave him a somewhat nervous smile, he could never read the man and it was an eerie thing - he knew not if the Odinson father approved of him or not. “Thank you. We’ll need to direct any gift bearers to said tent.”

Odin nodded and allowed Frigga to guide him to the first arrivals carrying brightly colored packages.

“Here comes the cavalry!” Tony hollered.

The children, both from Sigyn’s center and those she met at Frigga’s birthday party, arriving in droves with their parents and guardians. Loki handed the clipboard to Bruce, who had just come over, beginning the trek to the sleek car that pulled up in the distance that he easily identified as Natasha’s. Thor rounded up the arriving guests to stand behind the birthday banner, the children murmuring restlessly, ready to run amuck, the adults shushing them and hold them still.

“Mommy?” A blindfolded Sigyn asked uncertainly when Loki opened the backdoor of Natasha’s car, Clint climbing out of the driver’s seat with a professional camera and Natasha easing out the passenger’s side to the other door to let Bragi out.

“Happy Birthday, darling.” Loki kissed her cheek.

“Thank you, Mommy!”

Loki let her out of the car, guiding her towards the waiting crowd.

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Sigyn poked her lips out. “That’s what Miss Natasha said!”

Clint, the designated photographer for the day, snapped a quick photo of the two of them and one of the waiting crowd. Natasha kept Bragi quite as they came to a stop.

“Ready?”

Sigyn nodded eagerly.

Loki took off the blindfold.

“ _Surprise_!” Everyone shouted.

Sigyn squealed and hugged Loki tightly while blinking to get her eyes adjusted to the sudden light. She ran over and hugged Thor too before mingling with the crowd of children.

“She’s so happy,” Natasha stepped up to watch beside him. “Congratulations.”

“As if you hadn’t known in advance.” Loki grinned. “She never had quite the birthday like this. Never truly had the means to do so.”

It was true. Loki could only manage to throw her as best a party as he could on what he made, though he had made quite a bit at the Valhalla it was almost no match for the expenses he had had to pay. Her previous parties had been small and he’d just managed to get her Bragi for her last birthday.

“He would spend that and more for the both of you.” Natasha turned to look at her friend. “He has more money than he will ever know what to do with and you’ve been through much more than any twenty-four going on twenty-five year old should have to go through, especially from their own family. He strikes me as a lifer, so as long as it has nothing to do with your _mudak_ of a father, you don’t have to be in survival mode anymore. He wants to take care of the two of you and your unborn child.”

“Children.” Loki corrected softly.

“Hm?”

“Children. There’s two.”

“Twins?” Natasha’s brows ascended halfway to her hairline. “Your fiancé has good aim.”

Loki shoved at her playfully.

“Well let me correct myself: he wants to take care of the two of you and your unborn _children_. Let him.”

“Loki!”

Loki turned to see Thor waving them over.

“Ready for some heavy social interaction?” Natasha asked him.

“Nope,” Loki’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Do you mind a bit of guard duty?”

“Not at all.”

“Excellent, I already have your first assignment - I can see Tony sneaking his way over to the refreshments tent.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The front door rattled lightly as Loki unlocked it, stepping in to be followed by Thor carrying a sleepy Sigyn and a tired Bragi, who darted up the stairs to Sigyn’s room where he slept.

“Is she still awake?”

“Just barely. Should we have her sleep with us and wait until tomorrow?”

“She’ll be wide awake as soon as she sees it, she needs her bath anyway.”

Thor shook the small girl gently. “Syn?”

“Mmh?” she murmured.

“Ready for one last present - well, two?”

She pushed herself up in his arms. “Okay.”

“Remember how we said you were to be a big sister?” Loki stepped into her line of sight, stroking her hair.

Sigyn nodded. “Mhm.”

“How would you feel about being a big sister to two babies?”

Thor and Loki both winced at the squeal - she’d been doing a lot of that today - that bubbled up.

“Really?” she beamed.

“Really.” Thor confirmed.

Sigyn clapped excitedly. “I need to tell Bragi again!”

“You can tell Bragi after your last gift.” Loki informed her.

They went up the stairs to Sigyn’s room - Bragi was waiting in front of the closed door, looking at his humans expectantly. Loki opened the door and led them all in. Sigyn gasped as Thor sat her down, her wide eyes taking in the new additions to her room. Half of her room was almost just like before, her usual bedroom with all its decor and dog bed for Bragi, but the other half was now an art center. 

She had three easels - small, medium, and large - a blue toy stool to help her reach said easels, she had a table and small desk - one for leisure drawing and painting and one for when she wanted to do something more serious - there was a low, long shelf that held everything from crayons and markers to paints and brushes to paper and other mediums for which she could draw on, there were three extra toy boxes that were used to store the different size canvases for the easels, and the floor on the art half of the room was covered with blue tarp that matched the scheme of her room.

This morning was a mad scramble of moving and adjusting with the help of Thor’s close friends from Marvel - who’d also been kind enough to man the different booths at her party - but the room had been more than big enough to accommodate the new bits and pieces to her room.

“We’ve noticed that you’ve really taken to drawing and painting and we thought it would be an excellent idea to put this stuff in.” Thor explained.

“It was all Thor’s idea.” Loki added truthfully.

Sigyn’s reaction was a complete contrast to the one moments earlier - she quietly walked around the new surroundings, her small hand tracing the easels, shelves, and tables. She appeared to have a hard time taking all of it in. When she finally turned back to the two men tears were on the verge of spilling down her rosy cheeks.

She ran over to Thor who got down on one knee to accommodate her. She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and Thor circled his own around her.

“Thank you, Papa.” Sigyn whispered, squeezing tighter.

When Thor turned his head to Loki his blue eyes were wet, Loki was just as stunned as he was. Thor turned back and pressed a kiss to her temple.

“You’re welcome, darling. Happy Birthday.”

 

\----------------

 

Thor was still in a daze an hour after they put Sigyn to sleep, flopping onto the bed.

“It doesn’t surprise me, you know. Your presence these last four or five months has been more than James’s combined these last five years.” Loki sat down next to him. “I’ll talk to her about it tomorrow.”

“No,” Thor shook his head. “Don’t.”

“You don’t mind her calling you that?”

“It’s what I am, right? And I’ll be her stepfather soon.” Thor pursed his lips. “Actually...”

“Yes?”

“Why don’t we make it official?”

“You mean...?”

“I do not plan on ever leaving your side -”

“And I will be at yours until you decide you no longer want me.”

Thor shot up and pulled Loki close to him, looking him in the eye sharply. “Never.”

Loki gave him a bitter smile. “You were saying?”

“I was thinking about formally adopting Syn, would you oppose to that?”

Loki was genuinely taken aback, his response lodged in his throat.

Thor now looked a bit dejected, worried that he’d somehow overstepped his bounds.

Loki snatched him forward, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss.

_He wants to take care of the two of you and your unborn children. Let him._

“Never,” he panted when they broke apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the peace since there will be a severe lack of it in the upcoming chapters, you've been warned. Also, we are approaching the home stretch here, about 5 or 6 chapters left of this - thanks for sticking along for the ride so far!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	35. All Downhill from Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to wait until next chapter to put up the warning but I'll do it now on recommendation. TW for kidnapping.

“Ummm....Loki? You, uh, you wanna slow down on that ice cream there?”

Loki shot Clint a look that had him turning back to his own frozen treat. They were at the local park, taking a much needed break from a morning of shopping for the twins. They had bought diapers, wipes, and other general care items - Natasha and Clint had bought a toy or two for the tykes - Thor and Loki having already converted in the guestroom closest to them as a gender-neutral nursery. They had the basic furniture - two cribs, a changing table, a slim bookshelf - it was now a matter of adding the extra tidbits and giving the room a personality.

“Anyone else wonder why we got this stuff when it’s just started snowing like, yesterday?”

“You didn’t have to get anything, you idiot.” Loki responded before digging back into his treat.

Sigyn was right across from the bench at which they sat at the small playground, giggling and squealing with a few other children, as outgoing as ever.

“You went to see Dr. Pym, did you ask for the sexes of the babies?” Natasha asked, Loki was a practical person and had inquired after Sigyn’s sex when he had been pregnant with her, but Thor was much more sentimental and spontaneous - he would rather find out on the day of birth.

The couple had gone to see the good doctor yesterday, the number of visits they had to make increasing now that Loki was at the five-month mark. “I let Thor decide, he didn’t want to know.” Loki answered around a spoonful of chocolate ice cream. “And before you ask he said they’re healthy.”

“Is she as excited as I know she is?” Natasha picked at her frozen yogurt.

Loki smiled as he watched his little girl sloop down a slide. “She’s ecstatic. She likes to talk to them and I haven’t the heart to bat her away.”

“But you have no qualms about batting Thor away?”

“Of course I don’t.” Loki stood, the other two following suit. “I’m going to go get more of this.”

Clint snorted. “You aren’t even finished with the first one.”

“Shut up.” Loki tossed behind him as he moved to cross the sidewalk to the playground to retrieve Sigyn.

“Loki!”

He barely had time to turn before the rollerblading man crashed into him, Natasha and Clint rushing forward to keep him from falling to the ground - Loki’s cup was now crushed and its contents were now on his coat and sweater. Clint dabbed at the spots with his napkins, Natasha soundly scolding the apologetic blader.

Loki sighed at his ruined attire. “Well, I now have a reason to actually go get more ice cream,” he muttered.

“I am so sorry ma’am, I -”

“I’m not a woman!” Loki kicked the guy in the shin as hard as he could, causing him to take another tumble. “Let’s get Sigyn and go get my ice cream, banana split this time.”

His face paled when he saw no sign of his daughter. The other two noticed and confusion laced the air as they sped over to the playground to look for her. She was a no-show even when they called her name.

“Sigyn Nouvelle Laufeyson, you answer me right now!” Loki could feel the panic clogging up his senses and his eyes teared up. She knew better not to come when he used her full name.

His baby was gone.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Thor burst through the door of their home, Balder rushing in after him; Loki was already up and stumbling into his arms.

“She’s gone, Thor! She’s gone!” Tears of fear and frustration trailed down his cheeks as he clutched onto his fiancé like a lifeline. “Someone took our daughter!”

Thor held on to him, looking like he was about to cry as well. He had sped here as soon as he had gotten Natasha’s call, Balder refusing to let him go alone in case he did something rash like crash on his way, leaving a confused and worried Tony in charge of Marvel.

He blinked rapidly against the wetness of his own eyes, once he’d seen the results of the ultrasound it was like he had become a completely different man to Loki - he was the Balder that both Thor and Frigga spoke so fondly about, having also volunteered to babysit Sigyn a few times so his brother and fiancé could have some time alone.

“Have you called the police?” Balder asked, looking over at the other couple.

“No, I told him not to.” Natasha shook her head. “I have a feeling who did this.”

“Laufey.” Thor growled.

Natasha nodded. “Exactly. He’s desperate now and calling the cops will only make it worse for her.”

“What can we do then?” Balder threw his hands up in the air. “We can’t just do nothing!”

“We won’t do nothing, we will plan our next step. He’s taken Sigyn because he wants the Tesseract.”

“I s-should have just g-given it t-to him.” Loki hiccupped.

“You did the right thing by standing your ground. If it wasn’t over the Tesseract, it would have been over something else, especially since you’re engaged to Thor. I believe he would have tried just out of spite. He feels like this is a sure way to get you back under his control.” Natasha blew out a breath. “I should’ve been paying more attention.”

Loki pulled back from Thor just enough to look at her. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for this!”

Natasha gave him a rueful smile. “I won’t if you don’t.”

“How did this happen?”

They could all see the barely contained fury in Thor’s body language.

It was Clint who answered. “I believe we got set up. Some guy came rolling past us and knocked into Loki and while we were checking up on him one of Laufey’s cronies snatched her up. When we turned back he was long gone.”

“She couldn’t have been taken in such a way, not while there were others around.” Loki shook his head.

“And she’s way too intelligent to run off with a stranger,” Balder added, “so it had to be someone she knew that took her.”

“That _pizda_.” Natasha looked furious.

“Whoa, Tash.” Clint winced.

“It was Angie!”

“I don’t have her around anyone outside of you all and Frigga and up until recently, Angie.” Loki looked equal parts betrayed, astounded, and hurt - it made perfect sense. “And Sigyn didn’t know not to trust her. She took her...” Loki looked like he was going to be sick.

Clint got up to get him some water.

“But why?” Balder looked confused. “She was the woman with Sigyn at the cheesecake place, right? The babysitter? Why?”

“She must be involved with Laufey.” Natasha got up and started pacing. “I _knew_ she couldn’t be trusted.”

“And yet I foolishly didn’t listen to you. It _is_ my fault.”

“Loki, stop it.” Thor took the glass of water from Clint and put it to Loki’s lips. “Drink.”

Loki made to protest but Thor shook his head. “ _Drink_.”

Loki did as he was told, stopping about halfway. Thor pulled him over to the loveseat and sat the glass on the end table.

“I know this is going to be hard, but I need you to remain as calm as possible,” Thor explained. “You’re already high risk and the stress and pain could harm our children.” Thor kissed him. “What did Natasha say? _Stop_ placing the blame on yourself. We _will_ get her back, unharmed.”

Loki took deep breaths and molded himself as close to Thor as he could get. He would believe his fiancé’s words. He couldn’t bear to think of any alternative way this could end.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sigyn had long since given up on trying to talk to Miss Angie. She remembered how happy she had been when she saw her, she hadn’t seen Miss Angie in so long - but now that happiness was gone and Sigyn felt so confused as to why she had been taken. At first she was scared of what her mother would do once he found out she had disappeared, but now she was worried about her mommy and she was more than a little scared now.

After a long time they pulled up in front of a large house and Miss Angie took her out of the car. There were people waiting outside for them and pure terror spiked in her heart when she saw who they were - her uncle Byleistr, her uncle Helblindi, and her grandfather. She whimpered, she wanted her mommy.

“Good, you have her.”

The cold look in her grandfather’s eyes made her feel even worse and she could feel the sting of tears in her eyes.

“Of course I did.” Miss Angie responded. “You doubted me?”

“Of course not.” His smile sent chills down her spine. “Take her to the room on the top floor, it has been converted to hold her.”

Not knowing what else to do she clung to Miss Angie as she guided her towards the front entrance of the house. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a familiar figure - shorter than the rest, her father watched as Miss Angie took her to wherever this room was. She opened her mouth to call for him, to beg for him to help her, but at the last moment he turned away and she closed it shut.

He wouldn’t help her, he was with them. He was _helping them_. It didn’t hurt as bad as she thought it should have, she didn’t need him. Thor was her papa now and he would arrive with her mommy to come get her, they’ll see.

They went up two flights of stairs before she was deposited into a room. It was very bland - a simple bed and a basic bathroom was attached - a few coloring books and crayons were on the bed.

“Miss Angie?” She tried again.

Miss Angie paused in the doorway.

“Why?”

“You wouldn’t understand, little one.”

“I don’t understand now.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that you’ve been put in the middle of this. You really are a good girl.”

Sigyn was no less confused when she closed the door, locking her in, than she was when she realized Miss Angie wasn’t taking her back to her mommy. She climbed up on the uncomfortable mattress and shimmied over to the window overlooking the backyard, she played with the bracelet on her left wrist. It had three charms on it - the sun, the moon, and a star - Mommy didn’t need to tell her what they meant, the sun was Papa, the moon was Mommy and she was the star. She had wanted to ask her parents to add two more stars for her siblings; she would tell them when they found her.

But what if they didn’t? What if Uncle Byleistr came up for her?

She sniffled, curling up into herself, her tiny arms wrapping tightly around herself.

What would grandpa do to her? Why was she here in the first place?

“Mommy,” she whispered shakily, “Papa. _Please_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hurt me!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	36. The Ruse

Laufey couldn’t believe what he was reading, but several websites were confirming it as fact: due to a disaster caused by a new project their lab were working in, Marvel’s had some serious technological issues. He snorted, it was because they took on a creation they couldn’t hope to control. They were a company heavily based on computerized technology, an error like this would surely weaken their security and defenses substantially. There was a knock on his door, followed by Byleistr poking his head in.

“You’ve read the headlines?”

“Indeed I have.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“Marvel will work fast to get back up and running, especially after the story was leaked. We will send someone to either retrieve the Tesseract or have somewhere here break through the affected barriers and further damage their systems.”

“You would do better to further their ruin first, Father. And even with a weakened system they could still possibly thwart a hacker. You would do better to have someone go in person.”

“Perhaps,” Laufey shut his laptop and stood. “I will need to round up a good team...”

Byleistr waved him off. “Nonsense, the boys and I will go. I have an affinity for stealth and I wouldn’t trust anyone but Helblindi or I to lead the charge. We know how it ended when he tried.”

Laufey grinned and clapped Byleistr on the shoulder, he wouldn’t regret leaving his legacy to his younger, but much wiser son. “I would have you go tonight, in until then have Barnes work on a suitable virus that will wreak havoc on their computers.”

“Yes Father,” Byleistr paused as he turned to leave, “Father? Are you sure Barnes is to be trusted?”

“Loki _will_ come to heel, and once he does Barnes has assured that he will be kept under heel. He requires our aid in doing so and thus he will do as commanded.”

That still didn’t answer his question but Byleistr didn’t inquire further, instead he went to pass along his father’s orders and get his crew ready.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Three days.   
That’s how long it has been since he last heard his daughter chat amiably with Bragi.

Three days. 

That’s how long it has been since she heard her squealing giggles in response to some ridiculous thing Thor has said or done.

Three days. 

That’s how long it has been since he saw her smile up at him while he’s preparing a meal.

It’s been three days since he last held her in his arms, and the knowledge that she isn’t in a safe environment have made these last seventy-two hours even longer. But they had a plan now, and he was resting in Thor’s arms as the gang - consisting of him, Thor, Balder, Natasha, Clint, Tony, Bruce, and Steve - lied in wait watching the cameras in Marvel’s security room. It was well past midnight and they had been perfecting the final implementation of this plot the whole day; and now it was time to see if their brainstorming was all for naught. He toyed with the joystick-like remote control in his hands.

It didn’t take long for them to find out, several dark-clad figures - having ‘disabled’ the alarm to one of the fire exits, were taking the stairs down to Balder’s floor, quickly gaining access to the main systems only three people had the credentials to reach - Thor, Balder, and Tony.

\--------------

 

“According to the projection this is it, sir.”

Byleistr nodded, easing the disc out of its slip; it wasn’t easy to spot the main computer - it was just as bland as the others, but the position of the desk it was sitting on gave some clue to the crew that this was the older Odinson’s station. All he needed to do was turn the power on so he would be able to slip the disk inside and let the virus run its course. 

He took the tablet from one of the members of his crew and quickly surveyed the map projection, by the ease of all this it would foolish not to go and retrieve the Tesseract from the labs while they were in this lucky position. But before he could give the command to move out, the whole room started to swirl and it was as if reality as he knew it was breaking apart - if he had paid further attention, he would have noticed that the letters on the keyboard were absent and that the room lacked its finer details - in moments he and his crew were in a plain, _empty_ room.

 

\------------------

It was getting a bit difficult to get around now, but Loki insisted he tag along to confront the interlopers and get answers to the inquiries as to where his daughter was.

Bested in both numbers and strength and completely out of their element, the crew of five surrendered to the Odinsons and crew. Tony and Bruce brought in chairs and Natasha and Clint already had rope and duct tape in hand, the marauders fuming as they were tied up. One by one they were relieved of their ski masks and if at all possible, the rage on Thor’s face increased tenfold once he uncovered the last face.

“Byleistr,” Loki gasped. His father would gladly send Helblindi out on excursions, but he kept a tight lock on Byleistr since he was the one expected to take over after Laufey had passed and whatever love was left in his cold heart was vastly bestowed upon him - his presence here was a shocking one. An overconfident mistake. “Where is she?” Loki stepped forward into his brother’s line of sight.

“So it is true what Helblindi said,” Byleistr’s face twisted in disgust as he took in his younger brother’s swollen stomach, “you’ve stooped so low as to have been bred by the Odinson. Whoring yourself out was much better than this.”

The chair nearly tipped over with the force in which Thor struck him.

Byleistr laughed heartily as he spit out a thick glob of blood. “He has you wrapped around his pretty little finger, doesn’t he?”

“You will take care of how you speak,” Thor bent down so that they were face to face. “And you _will_ tell us where our daughter is before this night is over.”

Byleistr gazed out the corner of his eye to see that his men were being bodily lifted in their bound state out of the room by the other Odinson and the third blond man. Stark and his lackey were at the far wall, sliding open a fake panel to reveal the vibrating energy of the Tesseract - he had been _so_ close to it and hadn’t even realized it - and a small robotic arm that must have been used to activate and deactivate it.

“Ah, so this is the part where one of your sycophants ‘interrogate’ me?”

“They will be speaking to the others. The pleasure of interrogating you will be all mine this night,” Thor’s voice had dropped considerably and Byleistr felt the first stirrings of cold fear creep into his stomach at the sight of the plain briefcase that Loki’s redhead companion placed at Thor’s feet. “I know what you’ve done to her, and know this,” Thor’s expression of hot rage turned into cold fury, “you will not make it out of this building alive but what you tell us just might make your death a little less painful and swifter.”

“Is it not unwise to tell him you’re going to kill him before we start?”

Thor regarded his beloved with a softened smile. “If we do not get it from him, I’m sure one of the others will talk once they see the aftermath. We cannot let him go after his transgressions.”

Loki nodded.

“Are you sure you want to be here to see this?” Despite his intent to slaughter this monster in the slowest and most painful ways possible, deep down he was concerned that this would change the way Loki viewed him, that he would fear him as he did his father after this.

As if sensing his fears, Loki pulls him to the side and reels him in for a kiss, ignoring the sneer from Byleistr. “This will not change things between us, Thor. If you truly want me to leave for this then I will, but I was hoping for a little revenge myself.” And to relieve the frustration and helplessness of not only the last three days, but the last fifteen to twenty years of his young life.

Thor looked down at Loki’s stomach. “Loki -”

“Please,” Loki gave him a pleading look. “I know you will confront my father without me. Do not rob me of this.”

“Very well then. Let us get started then.”

 

They hadn’t gotten the answers they wanted, but they got a part of the retribution they sought.

They were just finishing up on cleaning their mess when Natasha poked her head in.

“One of them cracked. We got a location.”

“Where?”

“All he said before he passed out was that she was being held in the eastern compound.”

Loki frowned. “Of course. Why hadn’t I thought of that?”

“Tell me where it is so we can be on our way.”

Loki shook his head. “I can tell you the area but you won’t be able to find it without someone who knows the compound’s coordinates.”

“We’ll take one of the men in the other rooms.”

“I hate to break it to you, but Loki would be better suited to take.”

Thor glared at her. “Not in his condition!”

“Who better to navigate us through the house, Thor? Who else knows how Laufey and company acts and thinks than someone who’s been on the inside for all these years? Those men in there are simple criminals who were probably bribed into this a handful of years ago.”

Thor opened his mouth to protest further, but Natasha cut him off. “Thor, he’s bound to realize something’s gone wrong soon. The more time you spend arguing, the more danger you could be putting her in.”

Thor’s mouth shut immediately. “Fine,” he looked over at Byleistr and pulled off his flannel shirt. “I have an idea. I will need a messenger bag or something like it.”

“There is a luggage bag in the back of the SUV.” Loki informed him.

“Good. Natasha, tell Balder to phone Hogun and Fandral. Have him inform them that the rest of this needs to be cleaned up before any stenches linger.”

“I can actually ring someone up, no questions asked on their part. Real pro.”

“You have my thanks Natasha. Still have him call them as well as Volstagg and Sif. The more people we have on board that is close, the better against Laufey. He can do it on our way to the location, time is now of the essence.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ruse will be explained in detail in the next chapter. Only three more to go.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	37. The Final Confrontation

The SUV glided smoothly along the dirt road, its passengers mostly silent save for Loki giving Thor directions from one of the back seats. It was a very tight fit, but everyone managed to squeeze inside the vehicle to avoid having to use two separate vehicles. The house soon came into view and Thor parked just a little ways off. He and Volstagg turned in their seats and the others turned towards Loki as he took the nameless cube from Tony.

He waved a hand over it and the cube came to life, a hologram of the house Loki configured springing up.

“There are four floors including the basement and there’s an attic. The attic is just for your random stowaways. The third floor has been converted to hold all of the technology and it is where I believe they are housing Sigyn, there is a room that is rigged to where it locks the occupant inside - it is three doors on the right once you get up the stairs or two rooms to your left if you go in by the window, which I recommend. It’s on the right side of the house. 

The second floor houses most of the men my father hires, it’s quicker to the first and third floors if there’s trouble. The first floor is just your home standard, to keep suspicions at bay. The basement floor is where my father is most likely. He’s converted it into his own private rooms because it is where outsiders are least likely to find him. He enjoys his privacy so I’m thinking he will be alone if he’s down there.”

“What are we talking as far as manpower?” Clint asked, his eyes squinted as he took in the screen.

Loki blew out a breath. “On an average day about fifteen or twenty. It could be less on the assumption that couple of them were with Byleistr. I don’t care for them, I just want someone to get in and get out with my-” Loki glanced up at Thor, “ _our_ daughter. On the account of them not expecting us, the element of surprise should get us far.”

“Call it then, Lok-ster.”

Loki gave Tony a semblance of a smile. “Natasha and Clint, since I’m sure you’re better at and would prefer to scale the walls, I would be grateful if you went after Sigyn. Sif and Hogun will be your backup.”

Natasha squeezed his shoulder. “Of course we will.”

“And it would be great if you dispatched the two at the front door, Clint.”

Clint already had his bow and special-tipped arrows ready to go and firearms and tranquilizer guns were being distributed.

“Once she’s safe here then you four will join Balder, Volstagg, Steve, and Fandral on the first floor. No doubt Helblindi and crew be pouring out at any sign of a commotion. Bruce and Tony will stay here and monitor the house’s systems to alert on any changes, if someone needs help, ambushes, and we’re trusting you with our daughter once Natasha and Clint bring her down. We are all connected by our Stark phones - think radios, or as Stark would have me call them, walkie talkies.” Loki’s eyes met that of his fiancé. “Thor and I will deal with my father.”

Irritation immediately surfaced in Thor’s blue eyes. “No.”

“I know how this is going to end. I want the last thing my father sees is me free of his control and standing on my own. The longer we stall the worse this will be,” Loki handed the miniature cube to Tony and opened the door. “Clint.”

Clint hopped out right after him and took aim, waiting for one to turn their back on the other before letting the arrow fly, the tranquilizer tip catching one guard’s neck and before the other had a chance to react he was down too.

“Don’t make any rash moves or alert anyone to your presence until Sigyn is out of the house, the phones have been rigged to vibrate once Stark presses the button he’s been instructed to press once Sigyn is safe with them. Keep this as bloodless as possible,” Thor warned. “Use the tranqs unless you have cause to use a bullet. Go!”

For adults packed into an unfit space, they filed out swiftly, closing the doors as silently as possible. The stealth team was already working their way up the wall by the heavy tree next to the place by the time the others made it to the front. Fandral quickly scoured one of the guards’ pockets and came up with a key to get inside.

They blinked a few times as they stepped in, the bright lights nearly blinding after so much time in the dark of night. Thor immediately took Loki’s hand in his, the other keeping the luggage bag in place and Loki led him off to the basement.

 

Meanwhile, Natasha and Clint made quick work of cutting the window’s glass away, passing it to Hogun who quickly scaled down the tree to deposit it on the ground and climbing back up. Natasha slid inside, followed by Clint - Sif and Hogun making a system out of ropes to help ease the child’s way down; they moved as a silent unit, counting the doors until they were upon one with strange bolts. It was child’s play for Natasha as she quietly picked through each lock, both holding their breaths as she eased the door open.

Little Sigyn was sleeping in the darkened room, a closer look of her small face revealing the streak of dried tears on her cheeks. It was heartbreaking and made it all the better that they were able to get her out of there. 

Natasha shook her gently. “Syn.”

She whimpered but didn’t open her eyes.

“Syn.” Natasha shook more insistently.

Emerald green eyes, the perfect reflection of her mother, blinked at her sleepily. “Miss Tasha?”

“Yes it’s me, sweetheart. We’re here to get you back home.”

She sat up. “Mommy? Papa?”

“They’re here too, they’ll meet us outside later. I need you to be quiet for me, can you do that?”

“Yes Ma’am.” She was wearing the same clothes she had been wearing at the park and she looked rumpled.

It angered the couple even more.

Using the rope system, Natasha went down first, Sigyn clenching on tightly after her and Clint brought up the rear. Once they were safely on ground they took off and though their pace was hindered by the small girl, they made it to the SUV in no time.

“Stay here,” Natasha told her. “We’re going back to get Mommy and Papa.”

“Okay.”

“Look what I got, kiddo?” Tony flashed a chocolate bar at her and the last thing four saw before the door closed was her climbing Tony like a tree to get the addictive sweet. In seconds their phones buzzed, the alert having gone out to the others as well. 

Without Sigyn to slow them down they sped towards the house; they barged in to the sounds of a scuffle, several men coming down the stairs to join those that were already upon their comrades. Clint, Sif, and Hogun dove into the fray, Natasha taking everything in before she took off in the other direction to find the entrance to the basement.

 

Loki knocked on the door, getting a gruff order to come in from inside.

“It’s about time you showed up boy, I was getting agitated with your tim-” Laufey’s eyes narrowed as he took in his youngest. “Look who crawled off the Odinson’s cock. You’ve come to grovel for my forgiveness as you should and give me the Tesseract?”

Loki shook his head. “I’ve come to tell you personally to go fuck yourself.”

 

Thor smiled from his place behind the door.

“You dare!” Laufey rose from his chair, intent on teaching this insolent pup some manners, only to pause when Thor made his appearance. “I should have known,” he sneered.

“Brought you a present, since you’re going to be my father-in-law.” Thor shoved the bag at the pale figure.

Laufey eyed him with suspicion and opened the bag, the scent of blood hitting him immediately. Aghast, he pulled at the bundle inside until he saw the lifeless eyes of his second born staring back at him.

“Allow me to explain,” Tony’s voice came from Loki’s phone. “It’s simple really. We sent a few employees out to spread the word of our systems taking a huge hit - we let them keep the cash by the way, employee loyalty and all that. Such a huge scandal that the leading technology company in the world’s security has gone AWOL! We took a gamble though, other business owners could have been as stupid as you and decided to infiltrate us as well, but we know you were the only one dumb enough to go in the day of without a plan. 

Big Green and I - ouch! OKAY! - Bruce and I tampered with the system to give truth to the stories and we also altered the layout of the building to outsiders to lead them to the wrong floor. The Tesseract did the rest of the work - it took you two tries but you finally got it right with the Lok-maser. Too bad you treated him like shit. Oh and congrats, ya got one of your sons killed tonight. Stark, out.”

Laufey switched from shock to utter dismay to complete rage as Tony relayed the story, his eyes never leaving Byleistr’s severed head. “Who?”

“Me.”

With vicious roar Laufey threw the head at Thor and came after him, both men going to the ground; Laufey landed a few hits but Thor quickly usurped him before delivering a few blows of his own. Laufey maneuvered out from under him and quickly scrambled to his feet, Thor following immediately after.

Laufey was taller than Thor by an inch or two, and was lithe and solid but Thor’s bulk made up the difference and he was much quicker than he looked as he proved when Laufey dove after him again, only to meet air when Thor ducked out of the way.

Loki snapped out of his stupor and grabbed his tranquilizer gun, struggling to get out of the way and aim at his father while the two men clashed harshly. He had gotten a clear shot when something cold press to the back of his neck, the click he heard made it all too clear what it was.

“Stop or I shoot!” Loki squeezed his eyes shut at the sound of Angrboda’s voice.

Thor and Laufey parted and Thor held a look of uncontrolled rage as he looked behind Loki.

“Why?” Loki asked softly, his voice laced with betrayal.

“The same reason the Odinson got involved.” Angie walked over and pulled Laufey down for a quick kiss. “Love. Drop all of your weapons Odinson.”

He did as he was told, his eyes still trained ahead.

“Give me the gun, Loki. Both of them.” A metal hand reached in front of Loki.

He knew that hand, the owner had lost the original one in a car accident.

“You too, James? With my father?” Loki looked up at him with hurt in his eyes as he handed them over.

Angrboda picked up Thor’s gun and handed it to Laufey.

“He promised something I could not say no to.” James said softly.

“What could possibly be alluring enough for you to allow them to take Sigyn?”

“You.”

Thor growled. James met it with silence and an even stare.

“I’m regret that because of his insolence, you will go wanting. We’ll take good care of my granddaughter.” Laufey raised the gun.

Two sets of blue eyes widened in shock before the shot was fired. 

“NO!”

Loki watched in horror as James slammed back into him, having had barely enough time to jump in front of him. A red light flared blindingly in Angrboda’s eyes and she flinched, distracted enough for a woman with hair equally as red to crash into her. Thor took a shot at the side of Laufey’s knee in the confusion and quickly twisted the gun out of his hand.

Loki gently went down with James whose blood was steadily seeping out of the wound in his chest. “You idiot.”

“I’m sorry, Loki. I’m so sorry.”

“Shh.” Loki stroked his hair, his eyes flickering over to the other four every so often. “Save your strength.”

Natasha kicked Angrboda in the stomach and slammed her into one of the armchairs. She was on her in an instant, fists flying anywhere they could - the Russian woman relishing in the long awaited sound of her knuckles connecting with flesh. Natasha grunted at the elbow to her side, but she took Angrboda by the hair and nape of her jacket and threw her head first into the stone wall nearby with all of her might, a resounding crack rattled through their ears as her skull met the wall.

Laufey didn’t get a chance to grieve over her - from his position over him, Thor grabbed his chin firmly and yank with all he had, snapping his neck cleanly.

Footsteps could be heard thundering down the stairs and Steve and Fandral appeared in the doorway.

“Looks like all is well then.”

“Not quite, Fandral.” Thor knelt down beside Loki, who was leaning over James as best as he could. “Call 9-1-1.”

“We’ll have a lot of questions to answer to.”

“I don’t care. Call an ambulance.” 

“Already did.” Tony’s voice echoed from the phone.

There was too much blood, Loki surmised, he would be long gone before any ambulance reached this place. One look at Thor and he knew the blond figured that as well.

“We may have had our disagreements but there’s nothing I could ever do to repay you for what you have done.” Thor said.

“I was wrong,” James gasped. “Loki I was wrong, wrong, wrong.”

“I know.” Loki murmured.

“I’m sorry. I should have never done those things. They meant nothing to me, Loki. Not a single one of them. I was an idiot, I’m sorry.” The rise and fall of his chest was slower and slower.

Natasha ushered Steve and Fandral out and went upstairs to check on the damage there, a few bruises sprouting up on her fair skin.

“You’ll tell her I love her right? It may not have seemed like it but I loved her so much.”

“I will.”

“And I love you.” His eyes were drooping as if he was exhausted. “I’m so sorry, Loki.”

Loki gave Thor an imploring look and the blond nodded stiffly. Scooting back to get some of his stomach out of the way, Loki leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to James’ lips. The brunette was no longer breathing when Loki righted himself again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two more to go!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	38. Welcome to the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The birth.

_Three months later..._

 

This particular Saturday morning looked nothing less than spectacular, especially in the atmosphere that Croton Point Park provided. Loki braced himself over the fence and watched the waterfalls Thor had first shown him with Sigyn, Natasha, and Clint lining the fence with him, Clint holding Sigyn up since Loki was no longer in any position to do so. It had been such a good idea to come here, ever since that night months ago he had been building up stress and a good amount of anxiety, both very bad for both his health and that of the children.

 

Once the imminent arrival of the authorities was announced, the group, led by Natasha and Clint, did everything they could to alleviate as much suspicion off of them as possible. Gloved hands quickly disposed of the tranquilizer guns, the firearms they brought were wiped off and tucked away with the arsenal found in one of the third floor rooms, and Byleistr’s head was tucked back into the luggage bag to properly dispose of elsewhere. Not including the three bodies in the basement, it just looked like one big scuffle happened.

Helblindi was nowhere to be found on the scene.

Tony and Bruce had a fit of epic proportions when their computers and other tech was confiscated from the SUV by the director of the force, one Nick Fury. One stern look from that eye Tony sat pouting as they hauled his stuff away. He’d get it back by any means possible anyway.

Handcuffs were dealt out like candy, though the police held off a few moments for Thor to see Sigyn before he was carted off.

Both Sigyn and Loki held it together for as long as they could, but when they returned to the house they retrieved Bragi and all three slept in Thor and Loki’s bed that night and each night after that while the trial went on; mother and daughter held each other tight as the tears came freely - relieved at being reunited and worried for Thor, missing his sunny presence in their everyday lives.

Marvel had been under the combined care of Loki (he just couldn’t bear sitting around knowing the position Thor was in and he had picked up on quite a few things listening to Thor’s post-work rambles) and Tony’s business-savvy and most trusted outside of the group friends Pepper Potts and James Rhodes.

Thor and Natasha just barely escaped prison time - Both were able successfully to claim self-defense and Angrboda was in critical condition, but alive nonetheless. It was such a scandal for Marvel’s CEO to stand trial for murder and one of his employees for attempted murder, the others (excluding Loki) were charged with disorderly conduct and spent a few days in jail.

 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the mist feeling especially good on his face now that is was slowly starting to heat back up, March bringing with it the feel of spring. Now if only these cramping aches would go away he’d be just fine.

“Ready to head back?”

Loki smiled at Natasha. “Yes, it’ll take us a while to get back though.”

Clint snorted. “It took us over an hour to get to this part alone.”

Natasha waited until he put Sigyn down before she punched him in the arm.

“Ow!”

Loki laughed at Clint’s expense, taking Sigyn’s hand to lead their way back to the parking lot. A sudden pain nearly brought him to his knees.

“Mommy!”

“Oh no.” Natasha said from behind him.

Loki didn’t have to ask, he felt the wetness coat the seat of his trousers.

“Hold on, Loki. We need to get some help.” Natasha kept her voice as calm as possible as she watched Clint run over to one of the bigger guys in the sparsely populated area.

They jogged over to Loki and hauled him up, balancing him between them as best they could.

“I know the quickest way to the parking lot, follow my lead.”

Natasha checked her phone but cursed in her native tongue when she saw that there was no signal. “Where’s the nearest hospital?”

“Stone Lodge. About ten minutes from here!” The stranger responded.

Even with the assistance of the man and the quicker route, it took nearly an hour for them to reach the parking lot.

“Let’s put him in my truck, the back seat is bigger. Got something to buffer it with?”

Natasha took off her light jacket and when the back door was unlocked she situated it on the leather and went over to the other side to help ease Loki in.

“You and Sigyn stay with him, I’ll be tailing you.” Clint darted off to the car they arrived in.

“I want to be in the back with Mommy.”

“He’s gonna be taking up the whole seat, sweetheart.”

“I’ll kneel on the floor next to him. Help me in!”

Natasha heaved her inside and shut the door, darting over to the passenger side and getting in as the truck came to life. “Thank you so much. What’s your name?” 

“Váli.”

“We really appreciate it.” Natasha said. “Syn, hand me Mommy’s phone.”

“Okay.” She reached in Loki’s pocket and got the phone, handing it to her.

“No problem. I assume that that belly is full of kids and not any tumor or something along those lines?”

Natasha scrolled through his contacts until she found Dr. Pym.

“You guessed right.” Loki gritted through clenched teeth, another sharp pain hitting him hard.

“Ah,” Váli nodded and waited until Natasha got off the phone with the doctor.

“Pym is getting geared up and headed our way.” Natasha informed him while scrolling again.

“Although this is a first, I’ve seen stranger things than pregnant dudes.”

Loki let out a strained chuckled. “Oh really? I’d love to hear it sometime!”

“What’s up, Daddio? I’m gonna dive right in and tell you that Loki’s water just broke-” Natasha jumped and held the phone away from her ear, Loki managing a laugh when he heard Thor’s deep voice through the speaker.

“Put it on speaker phone,” he panted.

Natasha did as she was told.

“Where are you?!”

“We’re headed to the nearest hospital here, Stone Lodge in...”

“Ossining.”

“Ossining.” Natasha repeated.

“I know where it is, I’m on my way. Stark, you’re in charge!”

“But I wanna see the baby-”

“You’re staying here!” They could hear Balder shout.

The sound of running could be heard.

“We’re almost there.” Váli informed them.

“Who is that? Where is Loki?” Car doors slammed and an engine roared to life.

“We got some extra help from someone that was nearby. He’s in the back seat wishing for some pain meds, I’m sure.”

“What are you doing out that far?”

“Croton Point Park. We came here for a visit, Loki wanted to come. With all the stress and anxiety it was well worth it until about an hour ago.”

“It’s too early. They were due in April!”

“You can tell them that when they get here then.”

“Where are we headed?” Balder asked, Thor must have put his phone on speaker as well.

“Stone.”

“Out by Croton?”

“Yeah. An hour out.” Natasha confirmed.

“I’ll get us there in less than thirty.”

“I’d rather not give birth while my children’s father is in jail for reckless endangerment.”

“Loki?”

Natasha handed the phone to Sigyn, who held it up for Loki.

“Th-or!”

Sigyn used her free hand to wipe the sweat from her mother’s forehead.

“Loki, I’ll be there soon, I promise!”

The truck pulled into the emergency lane and Váli put it in park and darted inside. Soon, several nurses rushed forward to help Loki out onto a gurney.

“We’ve already been contacted by Pym.”

“Good, the father’s on his way.” Natasha turned to Váli. “Can I have your number? I’m sure Thor would love to thank you.”

Váli frowned. “I’m sure I’ll receive his thanks in spirit.” He climbed into his truck and pulled off.

“Guy looks awfully familiar. Not in the sense that we know him, but his looks...”

“Yeah. Let’s go, we need to be with Sigyn.”

 

Thor and Balder hadn’t been the only ones breaking the speed limit, just minutes after they arrived, Dr. Pym rushed into the room, pulling on a white coat and tugging on a cap. He took several paper towels and dabbed at his face before washing his hands. He pulled on a mask and stuffed his hands in some gloves before pacing over to where Loki was being walked around the room in his hospital gown.

“Ready for round two?”

Loki snorted.

“How close are we?”

“Still got a while to go, doc.”

Dr. Pym nodded at the nurse. “Okay. We can send Thor in but once the ball gets rolling we gotta send him back out. You want him?”

Loki nodded.

“Get him changed in some scrubs and bring him in.”

In hardly any time at all, Thor was at Loki’s side, worry evident in his eyes. “Loki?”

Loki leaned heavily on him as he took another lap around the room. Thor was a much better prop than the much shorter nurse - Dr. Pym has his thanks. Though it did nothing to ease the pain, Thor’s deep mumbles were soothing to his mind as time progressed.

After many laps, Thor spoke up. “You haven’t given him anything?”

Dr. Pym winced. “Not anything that will take the edge off and his pressure’s too low for an epidural.”

Loki groaned.

“Yeah, just like last time, champ.” He stopped them and got down on one knee, peeking under the gown. “Help me get him to the bed. We’re ready to go.”

They positioned Loki on the bed and Thor placed kisses on his forehead, eyelids, tip of his nose, and finally his lips. “I’ll be right outside, okay?”

Loki nodded stiffly, he opened his eyes to watch him leave.

“He’s a good fella.”

Loki gave the doctor a strained smile.

Dr. Pym’s makeshift team arrived.

It was time.

 

\-----------------

 

Thor paced the hall relentlessly, pulling at his hair every time a scream poured out of the room, which was quite frequently.

It had been an hour and a half since Thor left the room, and despite assurances from the group consisting of his brother, Natasha, and Clint he just couldn’t stop. They heard someone come down the hall and they turned to see Tony, Bruce, Frigga, and Odin heading their way.

Balder snorted. “You never listen, do you?”

“Shut up, at least I brought your parents. Brownie points for that?”

Balder stood up from his chair and offered it to Frigga, who declined and went over to Thor. Odin sat down and pulled Sigyn into his lap, the small girl curling up against her grandfather. 

Frigga bent Thor’s head down and kissed his forehead. “Things are going to turn out just fine and you’re going to have two little miracles. You’ll see.”

Thor calmed substantially under her combing fingers.

A shrill cry made them jump.

Frigga smiled. “Baby number one.”

“We got a boy in here!” Dr. Pym called out.

Thor couldn’t believe it. That was _his_ son. He was finding it hard to breathe. His son.

A few minutes passed before a blue bundle was brought out to him. He was hesitant to accept it, but with Frigga’s urging, he tucked the bundle in the crook of his arm. His eyes were closed but the tuft of blond hair was on proud display.

“Can I see him?”

Thor smiled and approached Odin, crouching down so Sigyn could have a look.

“He’s adorable! And pink!”

Every laughed at that. Except Natasha.

“Something’s wrong.” Natasha stuck to the wall, but peeked over the threshold.

Thor felt cold. He got up and peered over Natasha. He could see Dr. Pym hovering over a small body. He couldn’t see if it was a boy or girl, but he what he could tell chilled him to the bone.

“It’s not breathing.” Natasha said.

“It will be okay. They know what they’re doing.” Frigga tried to assure them.

Her words proved true minutes and another shrill cry filled the room and echoed out the halls.

“We got a girl!”

The amount of relief Thor felt was unmeasurable.

After they made sure that her breathing was steady, they brought her out, Thor handing his son to his mother and positioning his daughter the same way he had her twin. She also had a crazy tuft of blonde hair on her head, her blue eyes getting a good look at him before they shut.

The atmosphere was filled with happiness, the others in the hall careful not to hover but made sure they got a fair look at each child.

They almost missed sound of flat-lining from the EKG machine in the room.

Thor felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	39. He Remembers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been quite the joy writing this for both myself and you girls and guys! I'm kinda sad to see this fic end but it had to some time right? Enjoy!

Thor took a deep breath as he checked his reflection one last time, he adjusted his tie a little more. He had asked to be alone, shooing off his brother and friends - he needed this time for reflection of his beloved before he faced everyone.

He thought of the first night he met Loki, his demeanor so cool and collected, he remembered the first time he broke that cool, Loki moaning and gasping as they took their pleasure from one another. He remember the first chink in that armor, Loki revealing that he could be just as vulnerable as the next person. He remembered their first date, the skepticism in those emerald eyes that turned into general enjoyment as the night continued on and they revealed even more of themselves to each other. He remembered first learning that Loki was pregnant with his children, the nervousness and expected rejection clear in his eyes.

Thor turned and exited the room, heading out to where the others were waiting for him.

He remembered the excitement in every part of Loki’s being as he watched Sigyn catch her first fish and his own first catch. He remembers being with Loki when they heard the heartbeats of their children for the first time, so much fear yet just that little bit of hope sparkled in Loki’s eyes that day - scared at the birth that lay ahead but the thought of this bonding them together forever making it worth it. It was then that he had began hoping of making Loki his for the rest of their lives. He remembered the sheer happiness between them the night he proposed, chasing away the last of Loki’s insecurities with their passion. He remembered the unabashed look of adoration and awe on his beloved’s face as he signed the final documents that would make Sigyn his officially.

All eyes turned to him as he walked in, the eyes of many were misted over - among them Idunn, who blotted at her eyes with a handkerchief, Pepper, who fought the urge to press her stained cheeks against Rhodey’s suit, and his mother, who leaned into his father as he rubbed her shoulder, his son and daughter tucked in their laps.

It prompted him to remember that fateful day that his precious children were brought into the world. He remembered the anger of not being able to do something to stop his fiancé’s pain, the scare of his youngest daughter not breathing, the joy of holding both of them for the first time, and the debilitating horror he felt as Loki’s heart stopped, the color of his skin nearly translucent as the team tried their best to bring him back to life. He couldn’t remember ever feeling such heartbreak and hopelessness before and he prayed he wouldn’t have to ever again.

He stopped once he stood in front of everyone.

But it was time to add another memory to the collection labelled ‘Loki’. He took a shaky breath and felt a hand give his shoulder a firm and grounding squeeze, he looked back at his brother and offered him a small smile. The doors he himself had walked through opened and he forgot how to breathe. How someone could make a suit look as good as Loki did was beyond his comprehension.

The ensemble was black, accents of green and gold shone in the scarf he donned and his cufflinks. His gait was as graceful as ever, his head held high as he approached the altar. His hair wasn’t slicked back as usual - as per Thor’s meek request - but it was impeccably managed and brushed against his shoulders and face with each step. Thor himself was his complete opposite in white, the silver of his tie and waistcoat complemented well by his red pocket square, his hair pulled back into a ponytail with a few strands hovering just outside his vision, as per Loki’s staunch request.

On the right behind Thor stood Balder and Tony while Natasha and Sigyn waited for Loki on the left. 

Everything moved by in a complete blur as he stared into Loki’s eyes, the same eyes that just two months earlier he feared he would never see again. They only had eyes for each other as they exchanged vows and rings, sharing their first kiss as a married couple.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Close wasn’t close enough for the newlyweds, their bodies pressed together from head to toe as their tongues sought not to dominate, but to retrace the contours of both the mouth and body that they’ve long since learned before.

Loki started when Thor pressed the bottle of lube in his hand. He pulled back, “Thor?”

“I want you to make love to me.”

“But - but -” Loki was at a loss of words from both the immense amount of trust he was being given and the terror at not knowing what to do - though he’s remained steadfastly in control of his encounters since he’s been sexually active, he’s always been the one being penetrated. “I don’t know how to...”

“You’ve done this for yourself before, it’s no different.”

“But-”

“I trust you.” Thor kissed his forehead before turning onto his back.

Loki gulped and got on his knees, moving between Thor’s spread thighs. He coated his fingers and wiggled his fingers together to try to warm up the lube. He reached forward and traced the perineum just like his husband had done to him countless times, looking up at Thor for one last confirmation before easing the tip of his index finger inside. He gasped just as Thor sucked in a breath, he was tight though Loki wasn’t surprised, Thor obviously wasn’t the type to let himself be taken by another man, and Loki was more than honored that he would be the first and only one to do it. It made this that much more special and daunting. Loki worked Thor open slowly, stopping at every wince and grunt of discomfort he saw and heard, stroking him to full hardness when he saw him starting to soften.

“Loki...”

Loki retracted his fingers and coated himself thoroughly. Sure, he wasn’t as large as Thor but this being Thor’s first time, he wasn’t willing to take the chance of hurting him. There was a pregnant silence as Loki positioned himself and Thor gave him a reassuring smile before he pushed forward. Thor made a face, though it was directed more towards discomfort than pain as Loki breached him. Just like with his fingers, Loki slowly allowed Thor to adjust to him and he buried his face between Thor’s neck and the pillow below his head as he struggled not to spill inside of him - he was so very tight and warm and Loki had no idea how to process all the new sensations.

“Loki...move. Please.”

Propping himself back up, Loki pulled back and pushed forward, both sighing as he established a rhythm. Loki began to pick up his pace as he gained confidence with each sound Thor made.

“Ah!”

Loki blinked and stopped, had he hurt him? “Thor...?”

Cheeks flushed, Thor lifted his hips up. “Again.”

Mystified, Loki thrust again, earning a breathy moan from his husband. Thor wrapped his legs around Loki’s thin waist to keep him in place as he began to move in earnest, hitting that pleasure center again and again, Thor meeting him thrust for thrust now.

“Loki...Loki...” Thor panted, his eyes squeezed shut in pleasure.

“Thor...” Loki could feel his orgasm building and he felt the subconscious clenching and unclenching of Thor’s passage, a tell-tale sign of his own impending release.

They moved frantically together towards the finish line and when Loki wrapped his hand around Thor’s member and began to stroke him in sync with the rhythm of his hips, the blond came undone with a sound cry, his warmth splashing between them. Loki tumbled into bliss quickly after, the spasming heat of his husband too much for him to hold on any longer and he spilled inside of him, his hips jerking sporadically.

Loki gently eased out of him and stumbled to the bathroom, running a cloth under warm water before coming back to wipe both of them clean. Thor opened his arms and Loki gladly fell into them.

Despite Loki’s efforts they didn’t stay in bed for too much longer before moving to the bathroom to soak in the bath together, having only rented their honeymoon suite at the Gramercy Park Hotel for tonight since they didn’t want to burden Thor’s parents with the task of watching the two-month old twins and Sigyn any longer than necessary. Besides, they were anxious to get back to their children tomorrow.

Thor ran his fingers through Loki’s wet hair as he thought back to the day they welcomed Elli and Magni into the world. He owed so much to Dr. Pym for not giving up on his daughter or his husband, when those around him had been on the verge of calling it quits on Loki, the good doctor ran out of the room and came back moments later with two shots of adrenaline and when one failed to work he shot Loki up with the second, getting a faint flutter of the heart he could work to make stronger. Thor had buried his face in Loki’s messy hair and sobbed after he was stabilized, thankful for this third miracle of the day in the form of his revived beloved.

He couldn’t believe his luck, he had everything he ever wanted in life - a successful career, true friends to share that success with, the pride of his parents and older brother, and a love like no other by his side from which he was able to start a family, regardless of that love’s past. What more could he even ask for? He would forever draw a blank from this day forward.

“You know this intense contemplation never suited you.” Loki teased.

Thor delivered a sharp nip to his pale shoulder, Loki yelping in response. “Shut it.”

“What were you thinking about?”

“You. Me. The kids. I didn’t think I would ever be this happy in my life.”

Loki nodded. “Same here. I always thought I would be stuck as my father’s puppet for the rest of my life.”

“And everything I’ve done to get you away from all of that I would do a thousand times over.”

“I know,” Loki tilted his head back and offered Thor a smile. “I love you.”

Though Thor knew Loki loved him or else they wouldn’t be where they were right now, he was stunned because it was the first time that Loki had said it _first_. He leaned down and Loki met him, and when they broke apart panting they wore matching grins.

He would remember giving himself to this amazing person and he would remember this first declaration.

“I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have ideas for a sequel to this in the future so look out for that one day.
> 
> If you're interested, my attention will be focused on my other fic now called [In the Arena](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1392673/chapters/2917870), a gladiator-style au. 
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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